Moscow’s self-imposed restrictions on diesel sales abroad were aimed at addressing domestic shortages.
“The government lifted restrictions on exports of diesel fuel delivered to seaports by pipeline, provided that the manufacturer supplies at least 50% of the produced diesel fuel to the domestic market,” the government said in a statement. After the European Union banned Russian fuel imports over Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, Russia diverted Europe-bound exports of diesel and other fuels to Brazil, Turkey, several North and West African countries, and Gulf states in the Middle East.Russia has been tackling shortages and high fuel prices in recent months, which especially hurt farmers during the harvesting season.
That has not yet translated into the same scale of retail price decline, though Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, President Vladimir Putin’s point man on the oil business, has said that the ban had started to yield positive results.