Dmitry Petrovsky18:42, 22.10.26

Russia does not receive direct financial benefits from supplying diesel to the United States.

Agreements on the supply of Russian diesel fuel to the United States may be a cover for pressure on Ukraine to limit strikes on Russian oil refineries (refineries), Volodymyr Omelchenko, director of energy programs at the Razumkov Center, told UNIAN.

“The diesel deal is primarily about tying Ukraine’s hands through Trump and forcing it not to shell Russian refineries. This is just a cover, because the United States itself exports six million tons of diesel per month, so why do they need this tanker worth forty thousand? It is clear that this is a pre-election PR campaign to cover up Trump’s demand not to shell Russian refineries so that Russia can continue the war,” he said.

According to him, Russia does not receive direct financial benefits from the agreement on diesel supplies to the United States, because these are meager volumes and unfavorable sales terms. Instead, limiting the attacks on Russian oil refining infrastructure will ease the pressure on the Russian economy, which was approaching serious problems due to the loss of the ability to sustainably supply the domestic market with diesel.

“The refineries were quite close to the brink of disaster, and here Putin started this combination because of Trump. Unfortunately, we see that today the attacks on refineries have decreased and Russia has gained a second wind precisely because Trump is tying Ukraine’s hands with Starlink and intelligence so that they do not attack the refineries. That is, he is actually saving the Russian economy by forcing Ukraine to refrain from attacking the refineries,” the expert noted.

He also recalled that earlier this year, the Russian economy was already under significant pressure due to the fall in prices for Urals oil to around $30 per barrel. According to Omelchenko, at that time, revenues from oil sales no longer covered the costs of its production, transportation, and logistics.

However, according to the expert, the situation was changed by the war in Iran, which contributed to the restoration of the Russian oil economy and gave the Kremlin the opportunity to continue the war against Ukraine.Read also:

“A huge economic catastrophe was just looming over Russia, and then the war in Iran began, which saved the Russian economy and gave them the opportunity to continue the war in Ukraine,” Omelchenko added.

(C)UNIAN 2026