In Moscow, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said commercial negotiations with US buyers are underway and that the first diesel shipments could reach the US two to three weeks after contracts are signed, chartered and loaded. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russian diesel has begun entering global markets following the Oct. 9 agreement and a US Treasury waiver authorizing transactions through April 7, 2027, though he said the volumes will not fully stabilize prices. Standard Chartered and the International Energy Agency noted that Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries and domestic shortages limit Moscow's export capacity, meaning barrels sent west will mostly divert existing flows rather than add new global supply.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow backed the diesel pact but ruled out pausing its military campaign in Ukraine, accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of issuing a "direct challenge" to Trump by demanding Patriot missiles to continue striking Russian oil refineries. The House pushback follows a similar letter from 12 senators, including six Republicans, arguing that the arrangement violates a 2022 statutory ban on Russian energy imports and routes up to $4 billion to Russia's war effort.