Russian Diesel Faces U.S. Buyer Resistance Despite Trump Sanctions Waiver

By Arathy Somasekhar, Lisa Baertlein and Nicole Jao

HOUSTON, Nov 11 (Reuters) – US companies are unlikely to import Russian diesel as a tanker full of the fuel idles off the US Eastern Seaboard, experts said, despite President Donald Trump’s temporary waiver of some sanctions on Moscow’s fuel exports.

Banks are likely to be reluctant to finance US deals for Russian diesel, the experts said, noting there are legal questions about whether the president’s waiver is enough to allow for the imports. There are also operational challenges, because importers would need to blend the Russian diesel to meet US