Trump-Putin diesel deal on the verge of collapse, FT reports
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin (photo: Getty Images)
Two of the three oil tankers carrying Russian fuel bound for the United States have changed course, putting the previously agreed diesel deal between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin at risk, according to the Financial Times.
The outlet says the Russian tanker Talisman and the Leruo, owned by a Hong Kong company and sailing under the Sierra Leone flag, no longer list the US Atlantic coast as their destination.
On November 2, the Leruo changed course toward Brazil, while the Talisman entered the Mediterranean Sea and is now off the coast of Algeria, broadcasting the signal "for orders."
This means that the cargo does not yet have a confirmed buyer or destination port. Both tankers are under European Union sanctions.
The third tanker, the Agioi Fanendes, owned by Greek shipping company Eastern Mediterranean Maritime, is still heading toward the United States but is also broadcasting the "for orders" signal.
The tanker is expected to arrive in New York this weekend. However, given the apparent caution among US buyers because of regulatory, legal, and sanctions-related risks, Kpler analyst Matt Smith said it would not be surprising if the vessel also changed course and abandoned its planned call at a US port.
Meanwhile, the sanctioned tanker Beast, owned by companies based in the Seychelles, loaded cargo at the Russian port of Primorsk on October 27 and continues to head toward the US Atlantic coast.
Notably, media outlets previously reported that the diesel deal between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, agreed in early October, had virtually no effect on lowering diesel prices in the United States. Instead, prices edged up slightly.
