Senators Demand Trump Rescind Russian Diesel Deal, Saying It Violates 2022 Import Ban

A bipartisan group of a dozen senators sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Tuesday demanding that he rescind a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to put millions of tons of Russian diesel on global markets, arguing the arrangement breaks a 2022 federal law that bans Russian energy imports and gives Moscow money for its war in Ukraine.

Under terms Trump announced last week, Russia would immediately release 300,000 metric tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November, another 1 million tons after that, and up to 3 million additional tons depending on the condition of Russian refineries, according to News9. The Treasury Department issued a temporary sanctions waiver to allow the arrangement.

The deal aims at domestic diesel prices that surged past $6.20 to $6.50 a gallon at the end of September and still sit above $6.00, according to News9. Trump blames the high prices on Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, while market analysts say the main driver is instability in the Middle East stemming from the U.S. war with Iran. Analysts and economists are also skeptical the deal will move prices, noting the total promised volume amounts to a little over a single day of global demand.

Bipartisan backlash in Congress

Among the senators who signed the letter were Oklahoma’s Alan Armstrong, Texas Senator John Cornyn and former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Senator Tillis said publicly there is a “legitimate case for saying the president’s not following the law” and warned the fight could jeopardize year-end funding negotiations.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Emeritus Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, said he is “concerned the lifting of sanctions on Russian oil will only fund the Kremlin’s war machine.” The senators’ letter said the revenue would “undoubtedly finance its desired war of attrition” and strengthen Russia’s alliances with China, Iran and North Korea. The senators also pointed out that Congress passed a sanctions package last month, which Trump signed into law, using tariffs to pressure other countries not to buy Russian oil.

Trump defends the deal, presses Ukraine

Trump has defended the arrangement as “a deal for the world” rather than a direct import for the United States, and dismissed the congressional criticism by saying the complaining lawmakers “can’t really be serious.”

The president has also used the shift to demand that Ukraine stop its drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, arguing those strikes harm global markets and drive up diesel costs for American farmers and truckers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the agreement a “birthday gift” to Putin that funds the killing of Ukrainian civilians. Trump then publicly criticized Zelenskyy and suggested Ukraine needs a new president.

Armstrong, in a statement to Griffin Media’s Washington Bureau, said: “While I appreciate the Administration is focused on lowering costs for American families, turning to imported Russian diesel is a short-term band-aid that undermines critical national and economic security priorities. The true, lasting solution to rising fuel prices is currently awaiting a vote on the Senate floor: the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act. We don’t need deals with hostile adversaries; we need to unleash American energy production.”

Reporting based on coverage by News9.