In brief

• Two tankers carrying Russian diesel, which were supposed to sail to the USA, changed course according to the Financial Times.
• Trump's agreement with Putin is drawing criticism in the USA and in Europe.
• U.S. fuel reserves have fallen to their lowest level in 20 years.

The tankers set sail, then changed course

In the second half of October, the first vessels carrying diesel left Russian ports. According to the Financial Times, the tanker Talisman and the Leruo, which belongs to a Hong Kong company and sails under the flag of Sierra Leone, stopped listing the U.S. Atlantic coast as their destination (Rosyjskie statki zboczyły z kursu do USA. Wymowna reakcja Sikorskiego – Wirtualna Polska) (Kontrowersyjna umowa Trumpa z Putinem. Nastąpił zaskakujący zwrot – Polsat News).

The Leruo changed its destination port to Brazil, and the Talisman left the Atlantic and headed for the Mediterranean Sea (Rozpada się plan Donalda Trumpa w sprawie diesla. Tankowce zbaczają z kursu – Business Insider Polska). A third tanker, the Greek Agioi Fanendes, is still sailing toward the USA. However, Matt Smith, an analyst at Kpler, assesses that it may also change course for regulatory and sanctions-related reasons.

U.S. fuel reserves at their lowest level in 20 years

The change of course comes at a time when fuel reserves in the United States have fallen to their lowest level in twenty years.

Dispute in the USA and Europe

The agreement has caused outrage. Democrats and some Republican members of Congress argue that it may be illegal and demand that it be withdrawn. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill warned port and terminal operators that unloading Russian diesel could result in fines amounting to millions of dollars (Rosyjskie tankowce zmieniły kurs. Nie płyną już w stronę USA z dieslem dla Trumpa – Rzeczpospolita). Criticism is also coming from Europe. Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski commented on the matter with an ironic post on social media.

In the Kremlin, spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected any link between the change of course and the U.S. elections and did not provide details of the trade deliveries.