The key facts
- Putin, at a meeting with Witkoff in St. Petersburg, announced the preparation of several tankers for shipment to the US
- Deal details — number of vessels, volumes, and arrival timelines — are not disclosed
- According to Life.ru citing Novak, the first tanker (40 thousand tons) was planned to be sent on October 22
Putin Announces Preparation of Shipments
Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with the American leader's special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg, stated that Russia is preparing to ship several tankers at once under the diesel deal with the United States. “We are preparing shipments of several vessels right now, tankers,” Life.ru quotes the Russian leader as saying. According to the outlet, preparations for the vessels' departure are already underway, but the number of tankers, shipment volumes, and the expected arrival timelines of the fuel in the US are not disclosed in the statement.
Context of the Meeting and Data on the First Shipment
Earlier during the same meeting, Putin stated his interest in restoring Russian-American relations, including in the economic sphere. Witkoff, for his part, noted the existence of prospects for developing economic cooperation between the two countries after the end of the conflict in Ukraine. Earlier, Life.ru reported, citing Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, that the first tanker with Russian diesel fuel was planned to be sent to the US on October 22; the vessel's displacement is 40 thousand tons, and new shipments are expected to follow the first batch.
