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Trump planned his diesel betrayal weeks ago, and the diesel deal with Putin yesterday was a staged event. The MINERVA ZEN departed St. Petersburg as early as September 22 and has since been heading for the US East Coast (destination: Wilmington, NC). Arrival is scheduled for October 11. Yesterday, October 9, Trump announced the "diesel deal" following a phone call with Putin, and the Treasury Department immediately eased sanctions on Russian diesel. By that time, the vessel had already been underway for nearly three weeks. Chartering, loading, and the route must therefore have been determined weeks in advance. The public announcement and the context of the phone call appear to be the staging of an operation already in progress. Whether the cargo is indeed diesel will only become apparent during unloading. In any case, the logistics suggest that the course had been set long before yesterday's "agreement."