Seven tankers, laden with an estimated 288,000 tonnes of Russian diesel, now cross the Atlantic toward a country whose leaders have spent years trying to starve the Kremlin of exactly this kind of revenue. The cargo is the opening phase of a bargain struck between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, and it has drawn a fight over whether such a bargain can be lawful at all. Against the grinding war in Ukraine, where a drone attack on a railway platform in Dnipro killed fourteen commuters the same day, the question is less about fuel than about whether power and principle can still be reconciled. W
Seven Tankers Carrying 288,000 Tonnes of Russian Diesel Sail Toward US Amid Legality Row
A Russian drone strike on a crowded train platform in Dnipro, Ukraine, killed 14 people, with five more killed in strikes on Chernihiv and Kremenchuk.
Seven tankers are at sea, and nobody knows if they can unload
Mark
Why does a fuel shipment matter this much? It's diesel on boats.
Mimi
Because it's the first test of a deal that reverses years of sanctions. Seven tankers, about 288,000 tonnes, and nobody knows if they can dock.
Luke
Worth saying that 288,000 is an estimate from Greenpeace's tracking, not a confirmed manifest figure.
Mark
Who is stopping it, then?
Mimi
Nobody yet. Democratic senators have warned banks and ports of investigations, and New Jersey's governor Mikie Sherrill says she's looking at ways to block unloading in her state.
Luke
Looking at ways is not the same as having a mechanism. The reporting doesn't say what legal tool would actually work.
Mark
And the buyers?
Mimi
Reports say the White House has encouraged US firms to take it, but it's unclear anyone will, with the midterms next Tuesday.
Luke
Those are reports, not confirmed commitments. We don't know any buyer's name.
Mark
Did it lower prices, as Trump argued?
Mimi
The AAA figure moved from $6.28 to $6.33 per gallon since the announcement. But the first cargoes haven't landed, so it's early to judge.
Luke
Right. That number says the promise hasn't shown up yet, not that the deal failed.
O Pulso
- Seven laden tankers, roughly 288,000 tonnes of Russian diesel, are bearing down on American waters while no one has yet confirmed who will take delivery.
- A six-month sanctions waiver issued by Trump collides with lawmakers and New Jersey's governor, who threaten banks and ports with investigations and legal action.
- Governor Mikie Sherrill is weighing how to block unloading in her state, calling the deal 'corrupt and illegal' as the midterms approach.
- Fuel prices have not fallen as promised, and the AAA average has crept from $6.28 to $6.33 a gallon, deepening political pressure on the White House.
- Ukraine's losses mount as a drone strike in Dnipro kills fourteen, while the outcome of the shipments hangs on buyers and lawmakers who have yet to move.
Seven tankers, laden with an estimated 288,000 tonnes of Russian diesel, now cross the Atlantic toward a country whose leaders have spent years trying to starve the Kremlin of exactly this kind of revenue. The cargo is the opening phase of a bargain struck between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, and it has drawn a fight over whether such a bargain can be lawful at all. Against the grinding war in Ukraine, where a drone attack on a railway platform in Dnipro killed fourteen commuters the same day, the question is less about fuel than about whether power and principle can still be reconciled. Whether the ships ever unload will depend on people not yet willing to be named: the buyers who have not come forward and the officials who have not yet acted.
Seven tankers carrying an estimated 288,000 tonnes of Russian diesel are now at sea, heading for the United States. Whether any of them will be allowed to unload is unclear, because the shipments have ignited a political fight over whether they are legal at all.
The voyage is the first phase of a supply deal Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin negotiated earlier this month, one that reverses years of sanctions on Russian oil. Greenpeace, tracking the vessels through shipping data, says its count of seven is the most complete so far. One ship is already relatively close to American shores, while others are still crossing the Atlantic.
At home, resistance is growing. Democratic lawmakers have warned banks and port authorities that they could face investigations if they handle the cargo. New Jersey's governor, Mikie Sherrill, is examining how to stop the fuel being unloaded in her state. The White House has reportedly urged American firms to take the oil, but no buyers have clearly stepped forward, with the midterm elections only days away.
The promised relief has not arrived. Trump argued the deal would bring diesel prices down, yet the average price per gallon has risen slightly since it was announced. Zelenskyy has condemned the agreement, warning that the money will fund the Kremlin's war.
The war itself continued on Thursday. A Russian drone struck a crowded train platform in Dnipro, killing fourteen people, and five more died in strikes on Chernihiv and Kremenchuk. What happens to the tankers now depends on whether a buyer appears before the midterms and whether Congress or a state moves to block them.
Seven oil tankers, carrying an estimated 288,000 tonnes of Russian diesel between them, are now at sea and heading for the United States. Whether any of them will be allowed to unload is unclear, because the shipments have set off a political fight over whether they are legal at all.
The voyage is the first phase of a supply deal negotiated earlier this month by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, one that reverses years of sanctions on Russian oil. The pressure group Greenpeace has been tracking the vessels. Earlier reports had counted three tankers leaving Russian terminals in the Baltic Sea. Greenpeace, drawing on a range of sources including shipping tracking websites, says its count of seven is the most complete so far.
The map shows the ships spread out. One of them, the Taurus, is relatively close to the US. When the map was first published, five of the others were near the UK, and three were passing through or entering the English Channel.
Shaun Burnie, an energy specialist with Greenpeace Ukraine, argues that with the tankers' positions now plotted, Congress or local authorities in the US could stop the shipments. He said there should be more punitive sanctions on Russia rather than rewards for its war against Ukraine, and that the shipments can be stopped.
The deal itself was announced on 9 October as a surprise. Putin agreed to supply the US with 1.8m tonnes of diesel, starting immediately with 300,000 tonnes, and Trump announced a six-month waiver on existing sanctions so the cargoes could proceed. Russia has faced waves of sanctions from the US, the EU, the UK and other leading western economies since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This autumn Trump has changed course and sought closer dealings with Putin, even though Russia has not stopped attacking its neighbour.
Resistance has formed at home. Earlier this week a group of US lawmakers, led by a handful of Democratic senators, warned banks and port authorities that they could face congressional investigations and other legal action if they handled the diesel. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic governor of New Jersey, said she was examining how to stop the fuel being unloaded if anyone tried it in her state, and called the deal "corrupt and illegal". There are reports the White House has been encouraging US firms to take the oil, but it is not clear buyers are coming forward, given the legal risk so close to next Tuesday's midterm elections.
The politics are not comfortable for the president. His popularity has declined as US fuel prices have soared since he attacked Iran in the spring. Polling suggests the House of Representatives could well pass to the Democrats, while the Senate contest is considered too close to call. Trump argued the Russian deal would bring diesel prices down, but according to the American Automobile Association the average price per gallon has gone from $6.28 when the deal was announced to $6.33.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has denounced the agreement, saying the money would help the Kremlin pay for the war and that "backroom deals" give Putin more chances on the battlefield. The Kremlin, for its part, has tried to keep details of oil exports hidden: a presidential decree from the end of September restricted publication of information about them, in an effort to evade international sanctions.
The war continued on Thursday. A Russian drone struck a crowded train platform in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro at around 11am, killing 14 people, according to reports. Ukrzaliznytsia, the state railway company, said a high-speed, jet-powered drone hit as a commuter train was preparing to leave the main station; bodies lay scattered across the platform, in a daytime attack of a relatively unusual kind. Five more people were reported killed in daytime strikes on Chernihiv and Kremenchuk.
What happens next turns on two questions: whether any buyer will step forward before the midterms, and whether Congress or a state such as New Jersey moves to block the unloading.
Citações Notáveis
These shipments can be stopped.— Shaun Burnie, Greenpeace Ukraine
The deal is corrupt and illegal.— Mikie Sherrill, Democratic governor of New Jersey
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