The Briefing
- Russia's Deputy PM Alexander Novak confirmed Wednesday that the first tanker — carrying 40,000 metric tons of diesel — departed Thursday under the Trump-Putin fuel supply agreement announced October 9, with the destination port still undisclosed.
- U.S. diesel crossed $6 a gallon for the first time ever on September 11 and stood at $6.28 as of October 19, making fuel costs a defining political liability with the November 3 midterm elections now less than two weeks away.
- Ukraine's resumed drone campaign against Russian refineries — which the IEA calculates were struck once every three days through August — and bipartisan congressional opposition cast serious doubt on Russia's ability to deliver diesel at the volumes promised.
