The Russian government announced that it has partially lifted the ban on diesel exports, with the decision coming into force on 10 October. The aim is to implement the agreement reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
In the current phase, the decision allows for the supply of 500,000 tonnes of diesel to the global market. Russian oil companies will immediately begin negotiating diesel fuel supplies with foreign parties, in coordination with the government. According to available information, the decision will not affect the interests of Russian consumers as the domestic market is supplied.
The US government issued a general licence on Friday for the supply of Russian diesel to global markets until 7 April 2027. Russia is thus lifting the ban ahead of the scheduled deadline. It is planned that Russia will supply 300,000 tonnes of diesel in October, gradually increase the volume to 500,000 tonnes in November, and to one million tonnes in December. In the following period, monthly supplies could reach three million tonnes.
At the beginning of the month, Novak said that the Russian diesel market was "balanced". He indicated that the government would consider a partial easing of the export ban if production exceeded demand. He also stated that the export ban on diesel had only been extended to October a few days prior, that they continued to monitor the situation, and that they would consider a partial normalisation of exports if diesel production exceeded demand in the domestic market.
At the end of September, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that any potential lifting of the Russian diesel export ban would not depend solely on meeting domestic market needs, but also on the lifting of sanctions on imports of Russian energy products. Peskov emphasised that Russia expected other countries to lift sanctions on imports of Russian energy products, alongside guaranteed security of navigation in the Black Sea. Before the introduction of export restrictions, Russia held the second position on the list of the world's largest diesel exporters, behind the United States.
