The key facts
- Kirill Dmitriev called the Financial Times report about the tankers changing course a fake
- According to FT, two of the three tankers changed their route: Talisman — off the coast of Algeria, Leruo — to Brazil
- Dmitry Peskov said the shipped fuel would find buyers and that delivery details are not disclosed
Official denial following the FT report
Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and the Russian president's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, called the Financial Times report about a change in the routes of tankers carrying Russian diesel fuel bound for the United States a fake. 'Fake. The tankers heading to the US continue on their course. Why does FT have so many fake news stories?' he wrote on the social network X. This was reported by Life.ru and Gazeta.Ru.
What Financial Times claimed
The day before, Financial Times reported that two of the three tankers carrying Russian diesel bound for American ports under the diesel deal between Moscow and Washington had changed course. According to the newspaper, the tanker Talisman turned toward the Mediterranean Sea and is located off the coast of Algeria with the status 'awaiting orders,' the tanker Leruo changed its final destination to Brazil, and the third one — Agioi Fanendes — continued moving toward New York. FT linked the route changes to buyers' concerns about sanctions risks and growing pressure from American politicians.
The Kremlin's position
Later, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the shipped fuel would find buyers and that the commercial details of the deliveries are not subject to disclosure. Thus, the two sides gave different assessments: Russian officials deny that the vessels changed course, while FT, citing its own data, described specific route changes involving two of the three tankers. No independent verification of these claims is available in published reports.
