Moscow: US poll setbacks won’t harm oil sales or Ukraine Policy

Moscow, Nov 5 (EFE).- Russia insisted Thursday that the US election results would not affect its interests, saying its oil shipments would find buyers despite reports of tankers changing course, while vowing to pursue its objectives in Ukraine through military or diplomatic means.

«All the diesel will find its buyers,» Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during his daily telephone press conference, responding to reports that two Russian oil tankers heading for the United States had changed course following the Republicans’ defeat in Tuesday’s elections.

«Some shipments have already been made. These are commercial shipments, so naturally, the details cannot be made public,» he said.

Peskov declined to comment on whether the controversial agreement between Moscow and Washington on Russian diesel supplies could be modified following the election results.

The deal has drawn sharp criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, as well as Ukraine and the European Union.

According to independent outlet Agencia and the Financial Times, two tankers, the Talisman and the Leruo, carrying Russian diesel abruptly changed course.

One is now heading towards the coast of Brazil, while the other turned back and is currently off the coast of Algeria.

A third vessel, the Agioi Fanendes, is continuing towards the United States, although its owner has acknowledged that its final port of destination remains unknown, the reports said.

Media estimates suggest that between seven and 13 Russian tankers initially set sail for the US.

The agreement reportedly envisaged monthly deliveries of between 300,000 and one million tons of Russian diesel before the end of this year, rising to as much as three million tons per month next year. The deal is valid until April 2027.

US President Donald Trump had hoped the agreement would help bring down fuel prices and curb inflation, a major concern for American voters ahead of Tuesday’s elections.

Russia will defends its interests

Separately, Peskov said Russia would continue to defend its interests in Ukraine regardless of the US election outcome.

«Russia’s interests will be guaranteed either by military means, through the continuation of the special military operation, or by peaceful means, if someone in Kyiv shows willingness and assumes their political responsibility,» he said.

He stressed that the defense of Russia’s interests, as a sovereign country, could not depend on the political situation in the United States.

«Our interests will be guaranteed in any case,» he said, ahead of the resumption of trilateral negotiations under US mediation scheduled for Nov. 10 in Abu Dhabi.

Peskov also argued that Trump would remain president and continue pursuing his foreign policy despite the Republicans’ electoral defeat.

«Everything else, from our point of view, is an internal matter of the United States,» he said.

Former Russian president and current deputy chairman of the country’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev also played down the potential consequences of the Republican defeat.

«Donald Trump lost the battle for Congress overwhelmingly. How will this affect our interests? I don’t think it will have a significant impact for now,» Medvedev wrote on social media.

In its first reaction to the election results, the Kremlin had expressed confidence that Trump would maintain his efforts to secure peace in Ukraine. EFE

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