USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Six U.S. Senators Urge Trump To Cancel Russian Diesel Deal Over Legal Violations
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Bipartisan senators urge Trump to cancel Russian diesel deal over alleged legal violations. Lawmakers say the deal violates the 2022 Russia energy import ban.
18 outlets told this the same way.
Legal fight over diesel
A bipartisan group of six U.S. senators urged President Donald Trump to cancel the deal reached with Russia to acquire diesel, warning it violates legal restrictions on Russian energy imports.
Sen. Thom Tillis said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he believes there is “a legitimate case for saying the president is not complying with the law.”
Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal, and Ron Wyden joined Republicans Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis, and John Curtis in arguing that the Trump administration did not consult Congress or provide a legal justification as U.S. law requires.
The senators said the United States banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent Moscow from obtaining resources to finance the war against Ukraine, and they condemned the decision to “give Putin a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the agreement on Fox News, saying, “We will do it with all the legal authorities at our disposal.”
Quantities and the wedge
Trump announced on Friday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed on a “ceasefire in the energy sector,” and he said Russia would supply diesel shipments to global markets after his administration temporarily lifted U.S. sanctions on Russian fuel. The deal contemplates “more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the U.S. and world markets,” followed by “another 500,000 tons in November,” according to the description of Trump’s announcement. The Hill reported growing backlash as Trump claimed an energy ceasefire, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was awaiting clear details of the dialogue between America and Russia.
CNN said the Kremlin achieved something that “raw military might on the battlefields of eastern Ukraine could never deliver,” and it quoted Trump mocking Zelensky’s reaction to the deal as a “weak decision by a strong partner.” In Moscow, Vladimir Putin said in an official statement after a prearranged telephone call with Trump that “The Russian side confirmed its willingness to supply oil and petroleum products to the US market and global markets at large.”
What happens next
House Republican Brian Fitzpatrick planned to force a House vote on legislation blocking Russian oil purchases, challenging Trump’s decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports.
Fitzpatrick wrote on X that “We will be introducing bipartisan legislation to block any and all purchases of Russian oil,” and he said it would be forced to the Floor via discharge and “it will pass overwhelmingly.”
The Hill described how lawmakers on both sides of the aisle decried the deal, with the Treasury Department stating it would lift sanctions on Russia to allow the fuel to be released weeks after Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act.
RFE/RL quoted Daniel Balson saying, “Three weeks ago, Congress passed the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act,” and he argued Trump’s decision “just increased our own.”
The Guardian said analysts predicted the deal would have little “meaningful” effect on motorists and businesses, and it quoted Ashley Kelty saying, “It is not going to have any impact on prices.”