A bipartisan coalition of twelve senators has formally requested that President Trump withdraw from a newly announced agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding diesel fuel exports. In a letter delivered on Tuesday, the lawmakers characterized the arrangement as a “betrayal of the people of Ukraine” and a direct contradiction to recent congressional efforts to penalize Moscow.
The diplomatic push comes just days after Trump revealed via social media last week that he had secured a deal for Russia to supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the American and global markets, with an additional 500,000 tons scheduled for November and one million tons following shortly after. Trump stated that Russia would ultimately deliver three million tons of diesel fuel within a short timeframe, contingent upon the condition of their refineries.
The announcement caught many legislators off guard, particularly because Congress passed legislation this summer mandating steep tariffs on the primary importers of Russian oil. That law was designed to target the officials, corporations, and financial institutions financing Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine. The measure was established in memory of the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who played a key role in negotiating Trump’s support for the sanctions package.
“This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies; it should be rescinded,” the letter stated. The six Democratic signatories were Richard Blumenthal, Chris Coons, Dick Durbin, Jack Reed, Jeanne Shaheen, and Sheldon Whitehouse. They were joined by six Republicans: Alan Armstrong, Susan Collins, John Cornyn, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, and Thom Tillis.
While acknowledging the political pressure to reduce energy costs for U.S. consumers, the senators argued that permitting Russian diesel into global markets would provide little to no relief to Americans. Instead, they warned the deal would only supply Putin with additional revenue to sustain his war machine and continue attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
When questioned about the bipartisan letter, the White House deferred to Trump’s comments to reporters on Tuesday. The president dismissed concerns that the agreement would fund Russian weapons purchases, emphasizing that the diesel is intended for the global market rather than direct U.S. import.
“Nobody’s telling me anything,” Trump said. “That’s a diesel deal. Not for us. That’s being released into the world. That’s not being released to us. That’s a diesel deal that’s going to be released into the world for the world market, because the world market suffered with high prices.”
Nobody is listening when we warn them. Another betrayal of our allies, exactly as the letter says.
Three million tons! Did anyone actually read the full letter, or just the headline? Seems like a huge amount of fuel.
I’m just glad some bipartisan cooperation is finally happening. The senators are right to stand with Ukraine despite the pressure.
How exactly does pumping Russian diesel into the world market keep money out of Putin’s pocket? This feels like a clever loophole.