Trump’s US-Russia diesel deal draws bipartisan criticism
By Alison Main, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump’s diesel deal with Russian leader Vladimir Putin is facing bipartisan blowback in the US as lawmakers warn that the Trump administration is defying a federal law meant to crackdown on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.
Seven senators, among them four Republicans, released a statement on Sunday asking the Trump administration to “immediately reverse course” on its plan to supply markets with Russian diesel fuel.
The bipartisan group points out that Congress passed a ban on energy imports from Russia in 2022 to “prevent American dollars from financing Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine.”
“President Trump’s decision to allow Russian diesel imports to the U.S. runs directly counter to that law,” the senators said, adding that the administration did not consult with Congress or submit a justification for the decision as the law requires.
“The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians. The Administration must immediately reverse course,” they urged.
Trump announced in a social media post on Friday that Putin agreed in a call to “immediately supply” more than 300,000 tons of diesel to global energy markets, with another 500,000 tons promised in November.
The White House has scrambled to find ways to decrease skyrocketing fuel prices ahead of this fall’s pivotal midterm elections, though former US officials have said it is unclear whether Putin even has the amount of diesel that Trump cited to sell. Energy market analysts say the amount promised by Trump is unlikely to make much of a difference in global diesel prices.
Sen. Thom Tillis, one of the Republican signatories, along with Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and John Curtis, predicted the choice to enter into a deal with Russia would have “deadly consequences” by “giving Vladimir Putin any sense that we’re going to put our foot on the brakes versus put on our foot on the accelerator to ending this war and ensuring peace in Europe.”
The North Carolina Republican, who is retiring after this term, said in an interview Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he thinks Trump’s agreement with Russia is “tarnishing Lindsey Graham’s efforts,” echoing a sentiment made by former vice president Mike Pence on Saturday.
Congress passed a bipartisan bill last month spearheaded by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham to place heavy sanctions on countries that import Russian oil and gas.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent contended that the administration is working within both its legal authorities and political mandate to purchase the diesel.
“Look, President Trump they came into office with a with a mandate to work for the American people, and this is good for the American people,” he said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” also slamming European critics of the deal as “hypocritical” because they “cannot wean themselves off Russian energy.”
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso also downplayed the contradictions between Trump’s actions and the broadly popular support for Russia sanctions, arguing that Graham’s law was meant to give the president another “point of leverage” against Putin. “The high diesel prices that are impacting everyone. The president is balancing and has to make tough decisions,” he told CBS on Sunday.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who’s facing a tough reelection race in a Pennsylvania district that Kamala Harris carried in 2024, announced over the weekend that he’ll try to force a House vote on bipartisan legislation to block “any and all purchases of Russian oil.”
The Republican said he plans to introduce the “Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act” and collect the at least 218 signatures needed to bring a bill to the floor under a procedural maneuver known as a discharge petition.
The-CNN-Wire
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