Bipartisan US senators say Trump’s Russian diesel deal conflicts with 2022 ban, as he presses Kyiv to spare Russian refineries
The administration says the deal will lower fuel prices, but lawmakers warn it could help finance Russia's war against Ukraine.
Seven US senators, two Republicans and two Democrats, have criticized President Donald Trump's decision to permit imports of Russian diesel, claiming it conflicts with a 2022 law prohibiting such energy imports from Russia. The senators, who include Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis, John Curtis, Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal, and Ron Wyden, accused the administration of not consulting Congress and warned that the deal could provide Putin with financial support to continue his war against Ukraine.
The 2022 law requires a certification from the president certifying that Russia has fulfilled certain conditions before the ban on Russian energy imports can be lifted. However, the senators allege that the administration has failed to meet the consultation and reporting requirements stipulated by the law. The Treasury Department, on the other hand, authorized certain transactions involving Russian-origin diesel under General License No. 135, which cites sanctions regulations rather than the 2022 law.
Trump has claimed that Russian supplies would help lower fuel prices, which he has blamed on Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries. However, the senators argue that purchasing Russian diesel could provide Moscow with the revenue needed to sustain its war efforts.
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