In January 2026, Europe recorded a record increase in diesel imports from the United States after the continent tightened its ban on the supply of Russian diesel. At the same time, Russia was able to increase fuel supplies to Brazil, where cheap Russian diesel has displaced American volumes. This is reported by Reuters.

Analysts note that such changes demonstrate how sanctions against Russia are reshaping global markets. American producers were able to conquer premium markets in Europe, while Russia is forced to look for new customers far beyond Eurasia.

According to Mathias Tongi, an analyst at NextBarrel, “the European Union is facing a supply shortage,” and American refiners have helped fill this gap. In January, diesel exports from the US to the EU reached a record level of 336,000 barrels per day.

At the same time, diesel fuel supplies from India, previously the leading supplier to Europe, fell sharply to an annual low of 26,000 barrels per day. This was the result of pressure from Brussels on EU member states to abandon Russian supplies. Recall that in 2025, Russian oil accounted for 30% of India’s seaborne imports.

At the same time, increased supplies of Russian diesel to Brazil freed up US fuel on the Gulf Coast, which was redirected to the European market. Energy Aspects analyst Natalia Losada noted that this allowed the US to increase exports to the EU.

In addition, according to Sparta Commodities analyst Neil Crosby, a decrease in Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries in the last quarter of 2025 contributed to an increase in Russian exports. According to market sources and LSEG, Russian diesel and gas oil exports by sea in January increased by 19% compared to the previous month and amounted to about 963 thousand barrels per day, with the main buyers being Turkey and Brazil.

The situation highlights the global shifts in the trade of petroleum products and the impact of sanctions on the balance of power in international markets, while opening up new opportunities for US suppliers and creating challenges for traditional Russian customers.