First tanker with Russian diesel to depart for U.S. on Oct 22 - Russian deputy PM

ST. PETERSBURG. Oct 21 (Interfax) - The shipment of the first batch of diesel from Russia to the United States is scheduled for Thursday.

"It is planned that the first tanker will leave the port tomorrow, on the 22nd, for the United States," Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told journalists.

"This tanker will have a displacement of 40,000 tonnes. And the subsequent batches will certainly follow," he said.

The signing of the relevant contract is "at the final stage," he said.

The destinations of diesel supplies will depend on "what amounts we can provide in excess of those needs that exist in the U.S.," Novak said. "I think that other countries will also receive diesel," he said. "We are not restoring the full level of exports, but within the capabilities of our refineries, so according to the schedule we can reach the full level only by the end of the year, and then other countries can also get the amount they previously received," he said.