Russian diesel fuel will begin arriving in the United States market within 15 to 20 days after the relevant supply contracts are signed, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. Speaking in an interview with the Russian television programme Vesti, Novak said the US Department of Energy has already identified the companies that will act as counterparties and buyers for the shipments, while negotiations on the commercial terms of the deals are currently under way. He made clear, however, that a date for signing the contracts has not yet been fixed, leaving the start of the delivery window open for now.
Novak Outlines Delivery Timeline
Novak's comments set out, in his own words, how quickly Russian diesel could physically reach American buyers once the paperwork is complete. According to the agreement with Russia, he indicated, it will take 15 to 20 days for diesel to reach the US market after contracts are signed, a window that covers the period between the formal conclusion of the deals and the arrival of the fuel with customers.
The deputy prime minister presented the timeline as a matter of logistics rather than politics: with the counterparties already chosen, the remaining step before any fuel can move is the signature of contracts setting out the terms of sale. In his telling, the 15-to-20-day countdown should be read as starting from that moment of signature, not from the ongoing preparatory work now taking place between the two sides.
Novak framed the arrangement in the context of an agreement with the United States, under which Russian diesel is to be supplied to the American market. His remarks, delivered in the interview with Vesti, were reported by Ratopati and its English-language service.
US Energy Department Selects Counterparties
A central element of Novak's account is the role played by the US Department of Energy. He said the department has identified the companies that will act as counterparties and buyers on the American side of the transactions. In practical terms, that means the groundwork for the purchases is complete: the American entities through which the diesel will be bought have been chosen, even though the commercial details of their purchases remain to be settled.
Novak did not name the companies involved, nor did he specify how many firms have been selected. What his remarks establish is that the selection process has been carried out under the auspices of the Department of Energy, placing the department at the centre of the buying arrangement for Russian diesel heading to the US market.
Commercial Terms Still Being Negotiated
The outstanding piece of the arrangement, according to Novak, is commercial. Negotiations on the commercial terms of the contracts are under way between the parties, covering the conditions under which the Russian diesel will be sold to the identified American buyers. Until those talks produce agreed terms, the contracts cannot be signed, and the 15-to-20-day delivery window cannot begin.
Novak was explicit on this point of timing: the date for signing the contracts has not yet been fixed. The statement adds a note of caution to his own headline timeline, since the arrival of the first Russian diesel in the US market depends on when the negotiators conclude their work and the parties put their signatures to the deals.
The State of Play
Taken together, Novak's comments sketch a clear sequence of steps, most of which have been completed or are in progress, with one key step still pending:
- The US Department of Energy has identified the companies that will act as counterparties and buyers for Russian diesel.
- Negotiations on commercial terms are under way between the parties.
- Once contracts are signed, Novak said it will take 15 to 20 days for the diesel to reach the US market.
- The date for signing has not yet been fixed.
Until the contracts are signed, the timeline he described remains prospective rather than confirmed. What has been established, on his authority as deputy prime minister, is the framework: American buyers have been selected through the Department of Energy, commercial terms are being hammered out, and a 15-to-20-day countdown to the arrival of Russian diesel in the US market stands ready to begin the moment the agreements are concluded.
