Trump’s US-Russia diesel deal draws bipartisan criticism

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP/File

President Donald Trump’s diesel deal with Russian leader Vladimir Putin is facing bipartisan blowback in the US as lawmakers warn that the Trump administration is defying a federal law meant to crackdown on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.

Seven senators, among them four Republicans, released a statement on Sunday asking the Trump administration to “immediately reverse course” on its plan to supply markets with Russian diesel fuel.

The bipartisan group points out that Congress passed a ban on energy imports from Russia in 2022 to “prevent American dollars from financing Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine.”

“President Trump’s decision to allow Russian diesel imports to the U.S. runs directly counter to that law,” the senators said, adding that the administration did not consult with Congress or submit a justification for the decision as the law requires.

“The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians. The Administration must immediately reverse course,” they urged.

Trump announced in a social media post on Friday that Putin agreed in a call to “immediately supply” more than 300,000 tons of diesel to global energy markets, with another 500,000 tons promised in November.

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

Trump’s diesel deal with Putin drives a wedge through the Western alliance

The White House has scrambled to find ways to decrease skyrocketing fuel prices ahead of this fall’s pivotal midterm elections, though former US officials have said it is unclear whether Putin even has the amount of diesel that Trump cited to sell. Energy market analysts say the amount promised by Trump is unlikely to make much of a difference in global diesel prices.

Sen. Thom Tillis, one of the Republican signatories, along with Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and John Curtis, predicted the choice to enter into a deal with Russia would have “deadly consequences” by “giving Vladimir Putin any sense that we’re going to put our foot on the brakes versus put on our foot on the accelerator to ending this war and ensuring peace in Europe.”

The North Carolina Republican, who is retiring after this term, said in an interview Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he thinks Trump’s agreement with Russia is “tarnishing Lindsey Graham’s efforts,” echoing a sentiment made by former vice president Mike Pence on Saturday.

Congress passed a bipartisan bill last month spearheaded by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham to place heavy sanctions on countries that import Russian oil and gas.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent contended that the administration is working within both its legal authorities and political mandate to purchase the diesel.

“Look, President Trump they came into office with a with a mandate to work for the American people, and this is good for the American people,” he said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” also slamming European critics of the deal as “hypocritical” because they “cannot wean themselves off Russian energy.”

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso also downplayed the contradictions between Trump’s actions and the broadly popular support for Russia sanctions, arguing that Graham’s law was meant to give the president another “point of leverage” against Putin. “The high diesel prices that are impacting everyone. The president is balancing and has to make tough decisions,” he told CBS on Sunday.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who’s facing a tough reelection race in a Pennsylvania district that Kamala Harris carried in 2024, announced over the weekend that he’ll try to force a House vote on bipartisan legislation to block “any and all purchases of Russian oil.”

The Republican said he plans to introduce the “Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act” and collect the at least 218 signatures needed to bring a bill to the floor under a procedural maneuver known as a discharge petition.

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/美联社/档案照片

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普与俄罗斯领导人弗拉基米尔·普京达成的柴油协议在美国正面临两党的强烈反对，议员们警告说，特朗普政府此举违反了旨在打击俄罗斯入侵乌克兰的联邦法律。

周日，包括四名共和党参议员在内的七名参议员发表声明，要求特朗普政府“立即改变”其向市场供应俄罗斯柴油燃料的计划。

这个两党小组指出，国会在 2022 年通过了一项禁止从俄罗斯进口能源的法案，目的是“防止美国资金资助普京对乌克兰发动的残酷战争”。

参议员们表示：“特朗普总统允许俄罗斯柴油进口到美国的决定直接违反了该法律”，并补充说，政府没有按照法律要求与国会协商或提交该决定的理由。

他们敦促道：“在俄罗斯继续杀害乌克兰平民的同时，美国不应向普京提供财政援助。美国政府必须立即改变这一做法。”

特朗普周五在社交媒体上发帖宣布，普京在通话中同意“立即向全球能源市场供应”超过30万吨柴油，并承诺在11月再供应50万吨。

朱莉娅·德马雷·尼金森/美联社

特朗普与普京达成的柴油协议在西方联盟内部造成了分裂。

白宫正竭力寻找降低今年秋季关键中期选举前飙升的燃油价格的方法，但美国前官员表示，目前尚不清楚普京是否真的拥有特朗普所说的那么多柴油可以出售。能源市场分析师认为，特朗普承诺的柴油供应量不太可能对全球柴油价格产生显著影响。

共和党参议员汤姆·蒂利斯与苏珊·柯林斯、丽莎·穆尔科斯基和约翰·柯蒂斯等参议员一起预测，选择与俄罗斯达成协议将带来“致命的后果”，因为这会“让弗拉基米尔·普京觉得我们会踩下刹车，而不是踩下油门来结束这场战争，确保欧洲的和平”。

这位即将卸任的北卡罗来纳州共和党人周日在接受NBC“会见媒体”节目采访时表示，他认为特朗普与俄罗斯达成的协议“玷污了林赛·格雷厄姆的努力”，这与前副总统迈克·彭斯周六表达的观点不谋而合。

上个月，国会通过了一项由已故参议员林赛·格雷厄姆牵头的两党法案，对进口俄罗斯石油和天然气的国家实施严厉制裁。

财政部长斯科特·贝森特辩称，政府正在依法行事，并遵循政治授权购买柴油。

“听着，特朗普总统上任时肩负着为美国人民服务的使命，这对美国人民来说是好事，”他在接受“福克斯周日新闻”采访时说道，同时抨击欧洲批评这项协议的人是“虚伪的”，因为他们“无法摆脱对俄罗斯能源的依赖”。

参议院多数党党鞭约翰·巴拉索也淡化了特朗普的行动与民众对俄罗斯制裁的广泛支持之间的矛盾，他辩称格雷厄姆法案旨在为总统提供另一个对抗普京的“筹码”。他周日告诉哥伦比亚广播公司：“高昂的柴油价格影响着每个人。总统正在权衡利弊，必须做出艰难的决定。”

宾夕法尼亚州众议员布莱恩·菲茨帕特里克在周末宣布，他将努力推动众议院就一项两党立法进行投票，以阻止“任何和所有购买俄罗斯石油的行为”。菲茨帕特里克所在的选区在 2024 年被卡马拉·哈里斯拿下，他正面临着一场艰难的连任竞选。

这位共和党人表示，他计划提出“罗纳德·里根以实力求和平法案”，并收集至少 218 个签名，以便通过一种被称为解除请愿的程序性手段将该法案提交到议会审议。