Will Russia’s diesel shipment to the US lower prices before midterms?

Moscow dispatches its inaugural diesel shipment to the US, aiming to ease fuel shortages as midterm elections loom. Save Share Russia is set to send its first tanker carrying diesel fuel to theUnited States on Thursday, as part of an agreement with Washington aimed at easing fuel shortages that have pushed US diesel prices higher before next month’s midterm elections. Moscow announced on Wednesday that the tanker was headed to an undisclosed US port and was scheduled to depart on Thursday. The shipment is part of a broader effort to send more fuel to the US, even as Russia faces its own supply constraints and US consumers grapple with elevated prices at the pump. The announcement comes as the White House seeks to contain rising energy costs as cost-of-living concerns weigh on Americans in the run-up to the contentious midterm elections. Voters increasingly trust Democrats over Republicans on economic issues, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, with 37 percent of voters believing Democrats are more trusted on economics and 28 percent trusting Republicans more, while confidence in President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy has slumped, with 28 percent approving of Trump’s handling of the economy. The first shipment was announced during a visit to St Petersburg by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who held talks with Russian officials. The first tanker is part of a broader commitment to increase Russian fuel supplies to the US, rather than a one-off delivery. Trump had previously said Russia would export 300,000 tonnes of diesel fuel. It would be followed by another 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes “immediately thereafter”. Russian officials said on Wednesday that the initial shipment would be the first of several. However, the scale and timing of those shipments remain uncertain. Russia has been dealing with domestic fuel shortages linked to Ukrainian drone attacks on its refineries, which have disrupted refining capacity and forced Moscow to introduce restrictions on fuel exports. The ability to fulfil the promised deliveries will depend on how quickly Russia can restore production while meeting its own domestic demand. The deal also comes after Trump called off plans for another round of sanctions targeting Russia. Among the proposed measureswas a 100 percent tariff on goodsfrom major purchasers of Russian crude oil, including China and India....