Russia says its diesel exports may exceed volumes announced by Trump

By Olesya Astakhova and Vladimir Soldatkin

MOSCOW, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Russia will be able to return diesel exports to levels above those US President Donald Trump has outlined under a deal with Moscow which has been criticised by Ukraine and some US lawmakers, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Monday.

Trump announced on Friday that Russia had agreed to supply ​diesel to global markets, and his administration temporarily lifted US sanctions on Russian fuel designed to deprive Moscow of revenue for its ‌war in Ukraine.

"We will see how the situation develops further, but Russia has the capacity to increase diesel fuel exports," Novak, President Vladimir Putin's point man on oil, said on Rossiya-24 state TV channel.

"By the end of the year, exports could reach 3.0-3.5 million metric tons per month, returning to the levels seen before the crisis," he said.

Russia's diesel exports have collapsed due to Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries and self-imposed overseas sales restrictions. Russia has frequently attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Before Ukraine launched a barrage of drone attacks on Russian oil refineries in 2024-2025, Russian diesel exports amounted to more than 3 million metric tons per month.

Despite a self-imposed export ban, Moscow has continued to supply diesel to countries, mostly in Central Asia, under government deals. Russian diesel exports to Central Asia last month amounted to 427,000 metric tons, according to industry sources.

Soaring US diesel prices are hurting US truckers and farmers, and are a concern for voters and political parties ahead of US midterm elections on November 3.

Trump's envoys told Ukrainian officials last Friday that the Russian diesel deal was part of an effort to draw Russia back to negotiations after the failure of previous efforts to launch sustained talks to end the war, three people familiar with the meeting told Reuters.

The deal has triggered a backlash from some US lawmakers, who say it will give Moscow cash to pursue its war without forcing Putin to make concessions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has ​criticised the deal as a reversal of years of Western policy aimed at isolating Russia's economy.

Zelenskiy said on Monday that Russian strikes against at least six energy targets during its latest wave of deadly airstrikes across Ukraine showed Moscow had no interest in ​an energy ceasefire.

BALANCING GLOBAL SUPPLY AND DEMAND

Novak also said that under the deal with Trump, Russian diesel supplies will partially balance global supply and demand.

"We are already seeing this effect, including in global diesel markets, where prices have fallen by around five to six percent," Novak said.

In his comments, Novak also said that US figures putting at $250 billion the value of Russian resources sold to Europe were "significantly" understated.

"The figure for the period from 2022 to the present day is $320.7 billion," Novak told Rossiya-24. "This is the volume of energy resources supplied to European Union countries."

Trump said on Friday that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons (2.25 million barrels) of diesel to US and global markets.

That is less than a day's supply for the US transport sector alone, according to US Energy Information Administration data, which shows daily use of around 2.94 million barrels.

Trump also said Russia would supply another 500,000 tons in November and a further 1 million tons "immediately thereafter".

(Reporting by Olesya Astakhova and Maxim Rodionov; writing by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Cynthia Osterman, Ron Popeski and Stephen Coates)