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Three Russian diesel tankers head for U.S. ports under Trump deal
ReThree Russian diesel tankers head for U.S. ports under Trump deal
Three tankers carrying Russian diesel are crossing the Atlantic toward U.S. ports under a temporary authorization from President Donald Trump, drawing opposition in Congress and a legal debate over whether the administration can bypass a 2022 import ban.
Three tankers carrying Russian diesel are crossing the Atlantic toward U.S. ports, with a fourth expected to depart soon, as President Donald Trump's fuel deal with Moscow draws opposition in Congress and threats of investigation into companies involved in the shipments. The cargoes are the first authorized under an Oct. 9 agreement between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that temporarily permits imports of Russian diesel.
The shipments total around 140,000 metric tons. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak confirmed the tanker movements on the sidelines of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit, saying that a fourth vessel was expected to depart Russia on Oct. 28. "There are three ships at the moment. The fourth has not yet departed," Novak said, according to the Russian news agency TASS. The administration pursued the arrangement to ease diesel prices amid supply disruptions linked to the war with Iran and Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.
The deal has set up a legal confrontation. A 2022 law, the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act, bans imports of Russian energy products, and lawmakers argue the administration lacks authority to bypass that statute without congressional approval. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., escalated the opposition on Tuesday by demanding that two shipping companies recall tankers bound for U.S. ports. In letters to Eastern Mediterranean Maritime Limited and PetroVietnam, he argued that the Treasury Department's General License No. 135 cannot override the 2022 ban and warned that the deliveries would violate federal law. He also requested details about the companies involved and any federal guidance they received by Oct. 31.
Jeremy Paner, a partner at Hughes Hubbard & Reed and a former Treasury Department sanctions official, told Fox News Digital that the president has the legal authority to allow the imports. He drew a distinction between lifting a sanction and authorizing a transaction. "Trump's action did not lift, or remove, or waive the underlying prohibition on the importation of Russian diesel into the United States," Paner said. "What it did was authorize it, and as a matter of law, that's different. A license does not get rid of a prohibition. It's simply allowed."
The incoming vessels have drawn scrutiny because at least two are subject to Western sanctions. The first tanker, the Malta-flagged Agioi Fanendes, carries about 40,000 metric tons of diesel and lists New York as its destination, with an estimated arrival of Nov. 7. The 20-year-old Talisman is expected on the East Coast on Nov. 9 and is sanctioned by the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union. The third tanker, the Sierra Leone-flagged and Hong Kong-owned Leruo, is signaling an East Coast arrival around Nov. 11. The Leruo was sanctioned in 2025 by the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada over alleged deceptive shipping practices involving Russian oil and petroleum products, including ship-to-ship transfers at sea.
Paner said U.S. authorization would allow the shipments to proceed under American sanctions rules, even though one vessel is designated by the United States and even though the importation of Russian diesel remains prohibited by law. He said the breadth of the license issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control would cover anything touching Russian sanctions. He cautioned, however, that the authorization would not shield foreign companies bound by other countries' sanctions regimes. "Where it gets complicated is the EU, U.K. and Canadian sanctions on some of the vessels, because there are so many different players in the maritime industry, including shippers, insurers, re-insurers and banks," Paner said. He added that the U.S. authorization would not cover European, British or Canadian companies participating in the shipments.
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