First Russian tanker carrying 40,000 tonnes of diesel to depart in 2-3 days: Putin

Saint Petersburg, Oct 21 (IANS) The first tanker carrying 40,000 tonnes of Russian diesel fuel will depart in two to three days, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.

Russia is currently preparing shipments of several tankers carrying diesel fuel, Putin said during his meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff at the Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg.

The fuel is for the global and US markets, Xinhua news agency reported.

Putin held a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump on October 9, during which considerable attention was paid to prospects for resolving the Ukraine crisis, the Kremlin said.

On global energy developments, Russia reaffirmed its readiness to supply oil and petroleum products to US and global markets, according to the Kremlin.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed proposals for various ceasefire formats with Witkoff in Oslo, Norway, Ukraine's state-run Ukrinform news agency reported.

The meeting was also attended by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

Speaking after the meeting, Zelensky said the talks also covered security guarantees for Ukraine and the country's recovery.

Following the meeting, Witkoff travelled to St. Petersburg in Russia, where he met Russian leadership to discuss peace efforts.

Global energy markets have faced sustained pressure since the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East earlier this year. The conflict has triggered what the International Energy Agency termed the "largest supply disruption" in the history of global fuel markets.

Last week, US President Donald Trump said that "massive" oil, gas and mineral exploration is "getting ready" to begin in Greenland.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump suggested that experts believe the Arctic island owns an amount of "easily available oil" which is "far greater than that of almost any land, anywhere in the world."

He did not provide any specific estimates or elaborate on the exploration plans.

Trump also said any future attack on the United States would "have to come across Greenland, where our Defence will routinely knock down drones, missiles, or any other form of weapon not yet even conceived."

Trump's remarks followed a wide-ranging deal signed in late September by the United States, Denmark and Greenland to expand the US military presence on the island.

The deal came after months of pressure from Trump, who repeatedly called for acquiring the autonomous Danish territory and did not rule out the use of military or economic means. The proposal has drawn strong opposition from NATO allies and Greenlanders.

--IANS

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