Emboldened by dealings with Trump, Putin plans to escalate the war in Ukraine

On October 23, a Russian tanker departed for New York, marking Russia's return to the diesel market after an agreement between Trump and Putin. The shipment of 40,000 metric tons is unlikely to impact US diesel prices significantly, which are at record highs. The deal is viewed more as a political gesture than an economic strategy, aimed at signaling cooperation between the two leaders. Sergey Aleksashenko noted that the announcement's impact is more important than the actual economic outcomes.