Seven tankers carrying 288,000 tonnes of Russian diesel sail towards the US, unloading in doubt amid legality row

Seven oil tankers carrying an estimated 288,000 tonnes of Russian diesel are now sailing towards the US. However, amid a political row about the legality of the shipments, it is uncertain whether the vessels will be able to unload.

The transport, tracked by the pressure group Greenpeace, is the first phase of a contentious supply deal negotiated between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin earlier this month, reversing years of sanctions on Russian oil.

Previous reports had counted three tankers that had departed Russian oil terminals in the Baltic Sea. But using a range of sources, including shipping tracking websites, Greenpeace believes its monitoring exercise is the most complete yet.

Shaun Burnie, an energy specialist with Greenpeace Ukraine, argued that now the location of the tankers could be plotted on a map, the shipments should be halted by Congress or local authorities in the US.

Burnie said: 'Instead of rewarding Russia for its vile war against Ukraine, there needs to be more punitive sanctions against Russia. These shipments can be stopped.'

One of the seven tankers, Taurus, is relatively close to the US. At the time the map was first published, five of the others were close to the UK, and three were sailing through or into the English Channel.

Meanwhile in Ukraine, 14 people were reported killed on Thursday morning when a Russian drone struck a crowded train platform in the central city of Dnipro. Five others were reported killed in daytime strikes in two other cities, Chernihiv and Kremenchuk.

Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine's state railway company, said a high-speed jet-powered drone struck at around 11am as a commuter train was preparing to depart Dnipro's main station.

Putin agreed to supply the US with 1.8 million tonnes of diesel in a surprise deal announced on 9 October, starting with 300,000 tonnes immediately. Trump announced a six-month waiver on existing sanctions to allow the shipments to proceed.

Russia has restricted the publication of information about oil exports in an effort to evade international sanctions.