Lawmakers Warn U.S. Ports and Banks Over Trump-Putin Russian Diesel Deal

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is warning major banks and port authorities against facilitating Russian diesel shipments under President Donald Trump’s controversial agreement with Vladimir Putin, raising the prospect of legal action and congressional investigations as tankers carrying Russian fuel begin heading toward American ports.

In an October 24 letter, lawmakers called on six major financial institutions and port authorities in Texas and New York to preserve records related to Russian diesel transactions, including shipping documents, vessel records, contracts and communications with government officials.

The letter, first reported by Axios, warns that importing Russian diesel into the United States raises serious legal questions and could expose companies involved in the trade to future investigations.

The warning was sent to JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, as well as port authorities overseeing Houston, Beaumont, Corpus Christi and the Port of New York and New Jersey.

Lawmakers urged the institutions not to participate in the purchase, transportation, importation, unloading, storage, financing or distribution of Russian-origin diesel in the United States. They also called on the companies to avoid facilitating shipments to other international markets under the administration’s temporary sanctions relief.

The effort was led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and signed by Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), along with Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.).

Several of the Democratic signatories could lead powerful congressional committees if their party wins control of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections.

The lawmakers requested confirmation by October 28 that relevant records are being preserved, including shipping documents, contracts and communications related to Russian diesel transactions.

The warning comes as the first Russian diesel shipments approach the United States following Trump’s October 9 agreement with Moscow, which temporarily eased sanctions in an effort to bring down soaring fuel prices.

As gCaptain reported, the Vietnamese-flagged tanker PVT Azura (IMO 9423683), carrying approximately 109,000 barrels of Russian diesel, is signaling Norfolk, Virginia, as its destination, with an expected arrival on November 2.

Another tanker, the Malta-flagged Agioi Fanendes, loaded approximately 40,000 metric tons of diesel at Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk on October 22. Reuters reported the vessel was signaling New York, with an estimated arrival on November 7. Neither shipment has been confirmed as destined for a U.S. buyer.

Under the agreement, Russia committed to supplying an initial 300,000 metric tons of diesel, followed by another 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons thereafter.

The Treasury Department subsequently issued General License 135, authorizing transactions involving Russian-origin diesel through April 7, 2027.

But lawmakers argue the arrangement conflicts with the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act of 2022, which prohibited imports of Russian petroleum products following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. They contend that the administration cannot simply waive those statutory restrictions.

The Treasury Department maintains that the agreement is legal, while the White House has defended the move as necessary to ease energy costs amid severe market disruptions caused by the war with Iran.

For the maritime industry, the dispute adds uncertainty to a trade Washington has just moved to reopen. Shipowners, charterers, insurers, banks and terminal operators now face the prospect of facilitating shipments that lawmakers are already threatening to investigate.