US business ignores offers to buy Russian diesel due to threat of legal investigations

US business structures are demonstrating firm resistance to purchasing Russian diesel fuel crossing the Atlantic Ocean towards the US. This stance persists despite active pressure exerted by the administration of President Donald Trump on the industry.

Washington pressure and expert warnings

According to The Washington Sun, citing sources in industry associations, White House officials are unofficially urging US companies to accept Russian fuel shipments. However, businesses are not rushing to respond to these offers due to fears of risks.

«На них чинять дуже сильний тиск і Москва, і Вашингтон, закликаючи прийняти ці вантажі, зокрема пропонуючи значні знижки. Але вони стикаються з потужним опором через репутаційні та юридичні ризики» (They are under very strong pressure from both Moscow and Washington to accept these cargoes, including by offering significant discounts. But they are facing strong resistance due to reputational and legal risks), said one analyst who provided a comment to the publication.

Sources confirmed that at the time the fuel was loaded onto tankers, there were no guaranteed buyers. Representatives of the oil industry note that the administration's decision to weaken the sanctions regime came as a surprise to them.

Threat of investigations by Congress

A key factor deterring companies is the political situation. Democrats in the House of Representatives and the Senate have already sent letters to ports, banks, and energy corporations, warning that operations involving Russian diesel fuel could lead to criminal liability.

Since polling results after the 3 November mid-term elections suggest that Democrats may gain control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate, buyers of Russian fuel risk becoming the subject of Congressional investigations as early as next year.

«Усі намагаються якомога швидше триматися від цього якомога далі. Ніхто не хоче мати із цим справу, бо боїться того, що станеться під час наступної сесії Конгресу. […] Ніхто не хоче загрузнути в тривалому судовому процесі чи серії розслідувань, а ця ситуація саме на це й схожа» (Everyone is trying to stay as far away from this as quickly as possible. No one wants to have anything to do with it, because they are afraid of what will happen during the next session of Congress. […] No one wants to get bogged down in a lengthy court process or a series of investigations, and this situation looks exactly like that), a Wall Street trader said, referring to conversations with executives of major companies.

Change of route for tanker Agioi Fanendes

A specific example of such uncertainty is the situation with the tanker Agioi Fanendes, which is sailing under the flag of Malta. The vessel is carrying approximately 40,000 metric tons of diesel fuel. Initially, its destination was indicated as the port of New York and New Jersey, but later, in open tracking systems, the destination was changed to "for orders", indicating uncertainty about the next port of call.

Industry analysts and representatives of the energy sector expect that the tankers will eventually change their final destination to Brazil. Since the US introduced sanctions against Russia in 2022, Brazil has consistently purchased significant volumes of Russian diesel fuel.