Fuel contribution: Russia is ready to supply oil products to Chile

Russia expects to establish a dialogue with the new government of Chile, including in the energy sector. Moscow intends to start exporting petroleum products, the Russian Embassy told Izvestia. The priority is the supply of diesel fuel. The country already has experience in the Latin American sector: in 2023, this market became one of the key markets after the EU imposed an embargo on Russian petroleum products. Previously, one-time shipments to Chile were also carried out. How the United States may react to this is in the Izvestia article.

Prospects for the supply of petroleum products from Russia to Chile

In December, Jose Antonio Cast, known for his right-wing views, won the presidential election in Chile. The Russian side relies on the contractual capacity of the incoming government and is ready to supply petroleum products and LNG. This was stated to Izvestia by the Russian Embassy in the republic.

"We hope that with the formation of the new government of Chile, which will begin work in March this year, additional opportunities will be created to enhance bilateral cooperation based on mutual convergence of interests and pragmatism," the diplomatic mission noted.

The Russian Embassy also stressed the need to resume dialogue on other pressing issues.

"The doors are open for this from our side," they said.

The moment for the resumption of broad trade relations is very good for Russia, as there is a shortage of oil in the republic. 30 years ago, Chile reached the peak of oil production — more than 2 million tons per year (for comparison, in Russia now — more than 500 million tons). Since then, it has only been declining, which has caused a significant imbalance and made the country dependent on energy resources from abroad, primarily from the United States.

After the EU embargo imposed in 2023, it is beneficial for Russia to diversify its sales markets and increase exports to Latin America.

The most likely supplies to Chile from Russia are diesel fuel, said Igor Yushkov, an analyst at the National Energy Security Fund. As an example, the expert cited Brazil, where Russia mainly exports these products. In 2024, it sold $5.1 billion worth of petroleum products to the country. Moreover, there were also shipments to Chile, but on a much smaller scale. For example, 73,000 tons of diesel fuel were shipped in 2023. And now lots of these products are in transit through Chilean ports and are destined for Bolivia, said Sergey Kaufman, an analyst at Finam.

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Where else can Moscow and Santiago cooperate

Economic cooperation between the two countries has been developing well in recent years, and it can also serve as a good base for energy projects. In 2025, the volume of mutual trade increased significantly — by 23% compared to 2024, the Russian Embassy told Izvestia. The growth is largely due to an increase in the supply of Chilean fish, primarily salmon and trout, as well as wine. In general, the republic's exports to Russia are based on agricultural products, while domestic fertilizers are moving in the opposite direction.

"The trade potential, according to our estimates, exceeds $1 billion, a figure reflecting record levels before the COVID—19 pandemic," the diplomats stressed.

An important step towards intensifying business contacts was the presentation of the Chilean-Russian Chamber of Commerce, Culture and Sports in December last year with the participation of business representatives from the two countries.

"The event was attended by about 130 entrepreneurs from Russia and Chile, the event acquired the format of a business forum, where representatives of the business community demonstrated interest in working in the markets of the two countries," the embassy noted.

They also record the republic's interest in domestic high-tech solutions and medicines.

In February 2026, Nikolai Frolov, Director of the Center for Scientific, Technical and Innovative Cooperation with Ibero-American Countries at Southwestern State University, held meetings with representatives of leading Chilean universities.

"In particular, projects on the development of educational nanosatellites and their subsequent launch were discussed in order to prepare Chilean students to work with modern space technologies and remote sensing equipment," the Russian Embassy said.

The sides consider such initiatives as a practical contribution to the development of human resources and strengthening scientific ties, as well as as a basis for joint projects in the field of space research, the diplomats concluded.

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Who became the new President of Chile

Nevertheless, one should not expect an instant change in the political rhetoric of Santiago, who took a pro-Ukrainian position after the start of his campaign. The previous president of the country, Gabriel Borich, belonged to the representatives of the so-called new left wave under the control of the Democratic Party of the United States, Egor Lidovskaya, director general of the Hugo Chavez Latin American Cultural Center, told Izvestia.

— This is such a special project of the democrats, who created artificial leftist rulers who declared leftist values, attracting the poor and those who have always sympathized with the socialists, but at the same time put propaganda of LGBT people into their heads (the movement is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation), radical feminism, which had nothing to do with the real leftist struggle for justice, — the expert emphasized.

According to him, the conventional leftists in Latin America are now gravitating towards the globalists, while the right—wingers are on the contrary, towards Donald Trump, who does not take a radically anti-Russian position. Jose Antonio Kast belongs to such politicians. For now, Chile will be guided by Trump's position and expect a "go-ahead from above" regarding supplies from Russia.

And in general, Trump can give the green light to purchases of Russian energy resources, but only if they are exclusively peaceful, Lidovskaya added. At least, Russia's cooperation with a number of Latin American countries in the field of energy does not encounter significant obstacles. Now Moscow, for example, is planning to establish appropriate cooperation with Argentina, despite the pro-American position of its leader Javier Miley. The two countries' oil and gas forum will be held in Buenos Aires this fall.