Trump's diesel deal with Putin draws bipartisan criticism from a frustrated Congress
The deal is being criticized by both Republicans and Democrats as fueling Russia's war against Ukraine, violating existing U.S. laws and drawing the U.S. closer to Russia.
Twelve U.S. senators, split evenly between six Republicans and six Democrats, signed a joint letter on Monday, Oct. 13, urging President Donald Trump to rescind an Oct. 9 diesel arrangement with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the Kyiv Post, the senators called the deal a betrayal of Ukraine and demanded the president enforce the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.
PBS NewsHour reported that the deal is being criticized by both parties for violating existing U.S. laws, drawing the U.S. closer to Russia, and fueling Russia's war against Ukraine.
EU leaders have also expressed dissatisfaction with the deal to supply Russian diesel to the U.S., believing it undermines sanctions and allows the Kremlin to continue its war, according to Meduza (English). In response to these concerns, Trump stated that Europeans have paid Moscow $250 billion for energy since the war began. There are conflicting accounts regarding those energy payments: Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated the EU has paid $320.7 billion since 2022, while an unnamed European Commission representative reported the EU paid 197 billion euros ($209 billion) between March 2022 and July 2026.
Brief written by urgent.news from PBS NewsHour, Meduza (English), Kyiv Post, Punch, Punch Nigeria — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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