Last tanker carrying Russian diesel under Trump-Putin deal turns back from U.S. coast

The Agioi Fanendes, the last tanker carrying Russian diesel still heading toward the United States, turned around about 740 kilometers from New York.The ship left the port of Primorsk on October 22 carrying 40,000 metric tons of fuel and was expected to arrive in New York by November 7. During the voyage, however, the tanker changed its listed destination to “for orders.” Its owner, the Greek shipping company Eastern Mediterranean Maritime, continues to tell journalists that the vessel is “proceeding for orders as the discharging port is not confirmed yet.”The Agioi Fanendes began moving slowly away from the U.S. East Coast on November 9, Bloomberg reported, citing ship-tracking data.In early October, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to the delivery of Russian diesel to U.S. and global markets. The U.S. Treasury Department temporarily authorized transactions involving sanctioned Russian diesel.The deal was intended to lower fuel prices ahead of the U.S. midterm congressional elections. Russia sent four tankers under the agreement.The Democrats won the elections. On November 5, reports emerged that the Talisman and the Leruo had changed course. As of November 7, the Beast remained off the British coast.The Kremlin said U.S. purchases of Russian diesel, and specifically the routes taken by the tankers carrying it, had nothing to do with the U.S. elections. “All the diesel will find buyers,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.