Russia-US diesel deal makes 'important contribution' to energy security: Russian foreign minister

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that an agreement between Moscow and Washington to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports has made an important contribution to global energy security.

In an article published in Russian daily Kommersant, Lavrov said Moscow, unlike its adversaries, does not use economic ties to "settle geopolitical scores" or undermine competitors, noting that Russia has supplied Europe with $320 billion worth of energy resources.

"An important contribution to energy security was the agreement reached between the leaders of Russia and the United States to suspend restrictions on the export of Russian diesel fuel," Lavrov said.

He said implementation of the agreement had already begun, triggering an immediate decline in prices, and pledged that Moscow would continue working to stabilize global energy markets, safeguard energy security and support balanced, sustainable development.

Last month, US President Donald Trump announced a diesel supply agreement following a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, under which Moscow agreed to "immediately supply" more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the US and global markets.

Trump said Russia would deliver another 500,000 tons in November, followed by 1 million tons "immediately thereafter."

An additional 3 million tons would be supplied "within a short period," depending on the condition of Russian diesel refineries, he added.

Putin said the supplies would benefit the global economy, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the agreement, warning that easing restrictions on Russian diesel exports could help finance Moscow's war effort.

Lavrov argued that a stable global energy system was essential for sustained economic growth and technological development, accusing Western sanctions and the seizure of foreign-owned tankers of disrupting fuel markets.

He also accused Ukraine of continuing strikes on critical infrastructure in Russia and elsewhere, saying the attacks had "gone unheeded" despite Trump's calls for them to stop.

Lavrov described the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as another major destabilizing factor that had severely affected the energy sector.

"The claims by NATO, the EU, and their member states to dictate terms in various maritime areas are entirely unacceptable," he said.

Turning to food security, Lavrov described it as another essential pillar of global stability, claiming that sanctions and other barriers had contributed to hunger affecting more than 600 million people worldwide.

He also argued that Western countries were resisting the emergence of a multipolar world order.

"In keeping with a colonial paradigm that has by no means disappeared, there are attempts to deny the growing centers of development in the Global South and East the right to participate in global governance in a manner commensurate with their actual weight in world affairs," he added.