Twelve bipartisan U.S. senators have urged President Donald Trump to abandon a diesel deal with Russia, arguing that it would betray Ukraine while doing little to curb rising energy prices.
Twelve bipartisan U.S. senators have urged President Donald Trump to abandon a diesel deal with Russia, arguing that it would betray Ukraine while doing little to curb rising energy prices. The decision on October 9 to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports reportedly caught Ukraine and America’s European allies by surprise, reigniting a public war of words between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The dispute comes ahead of the November midterm elections, in which Republicans are seeking to retain control of Congress.
In a letter sent on Tuesday, the senators argued that “allowing Moscow to freely sell Russian diesel on global markets undermines U.S. national security interests and betrays the people of Ukraine.” They claimed the move would have “a negligible impact on fuel prices” while providing Russia with additional revenue to finance its military operations in Ukraine and “advance security cooperation with China, Iran, and North Korea.”
The senators also wrote that the decision would put U.S. troops deployed overseas in support of Operation Epic Fury at risk, referring to the American war with Iran. They urged Trump to impose additional sanctions on Russia and its trading partners under legislation named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch critic of Russia. The president signed the legislation last month.
The letter was signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal, Thom Tillis, Jeanne Shaheen, Susan Collins, Dick Durbin, Elissa Slotkin, Sheldon Whitehouse, Lisa Murkowski, Jack Reed, Chris Coons, Mitch McConnell, and John Cornyn. Trump defended the deal with Russia, describing it as beneficial to American consumers. On Monday, he wrote on Truth Social: “I made the right decision for the American people, always America First!”
According to Axios, Trump decided to reach an agreement with Moscow after Zelensky rejected “half a dozen” U.S. requests to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries, which Trump blamed for rising fuel prices. Trump also suggested that “it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president” after Zelensky criticized him for easing restrictions on Russia. Zelensky’s five-year presidential term expired in May 2024, but he has not held new elections, citing martial law imposed following the escalation of the conflict with Russia. Trump also pointed out that the European Union continues to import Russian energy despite pledging to phase out such imports. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said earlier this month that the EU had spent more than $320 billion on Russian energy since 2022
