12 U.S. senators, including 6 Republicans, tell Trump to drop diesel deal with Russia

12 U.S. senators, including 6 Republicans, tell Trump to drop diesel deal with Russia

Letter signed by senators says deal with Russia amounts to 'gift to our adversary'

A dozen U.S. senators, including six of U.S. President ‌Donald Trump's fellow Republicans, called on the president on Tuesday to rescind his diesel oil deal with Russia, days before his administration must decide whether to formally impose new sanctions on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.

The lawmakers' letter to Trump said the agreement provides Russian President Vladimir Putin's government with more fuel to finance its war, and will not benefit Americans, adding to a torrent ​of congressional criticism since Trump announced the deal on Friday.

The resistance marks a shift from what had been ​Republicans' near-unanimous support for Trump's foreign policy decisions, weeks before ⁠Nov. 3 midterm elections ⁠that will determine whether the party ‌retains control of Congress.

Trump said Friday he was lifting sanctions ​on Russian diesel exports, and that Moscow would immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons (2.25 million barrels) of diesel ⁠to U.S. and global markets.

Although Trump ⁠said he wanted to reduce prices, the amount he referenced is less ‌than a day's supply for the U.S. transport sector alone, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data, which shows daily use of around 2.94 million barrels per day.

"Granting Moscow the ability to sell Russian diesel freely in global markets damages American security interests and is a betrayal of the people of Ukraine, who continue to defend themselves from Putin's murderous, illegal war," the senators said in their letter.

"This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of ‌our Allies; it should be rescinded."

The letter was signed by Republicans Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, Alan Armstrong of Oklahoma, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska ​and John Cornyn of Texas, as well as six Democrats.

Trump reverses course on Russian oil sanctions

Under a law Trump signed last month, he faces an Oct. 18 deadline to impose sweeping new sanctions and tariffs on Russian energy over the Ukraine war, or waive them because he has determined that doing so is in the national interest.

The letter ​urged Trump to execute the sanctions authorities included in the new law, called the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026," in honour of the late senator — a Russia hawk ⁠and close Trump ally who died in July.

The administration has not yet told lawmakers whether it would impose the sanctions or issue ⁠a waiver.

Collins, Murkowski and Tillis had joined ⁠Democrats in a joint statement on Sunday calling on Trump to "reverse course" on the ⁠deal, saying it runs counter to U.S. law barring imports of energy ⁠until ⁠Russia ends its aggression ​against Ukraine.

A man stands near a building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Monday, which was struck by a Russian jet-powered drone. (Sofiia Gatilova/Reuters)

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump was asked whether anyone had told him Russia could use proceeds ​of the diesel deal to purchase more ⁠bombs. "No, nobody told me anything," he responded, adding the deal benefited not just the U.S. but the world.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Monday that Russia will be able to return diesel exports to levels above those Trump had outlined under the deal.

The Democratic senators who signed the letter were Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Richard Durbin of Illinois, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Chris Coons of Connecticut.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The two countries have been in a state of all-out war ever since.