Republican and Democratic US senators joined forces Tuesday to urge President Donald Trump to scrap his diesel deal with Russia, calling it a “betrayal” that would bankroll Moscow’s war in Ukraine while doing little to ease soaring fuel prices.
The 12 lawmakers — including six members of Trump’s Republican Party — called on the president to reverse his agreement with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to allow the country’s diesel onto global markets.
The Republican signatories included former Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and other senators with decades of experience, putting prominent members of Trump’s own party at odds with the president ahead of November’s midterm elections. The senators urged Trump to revoke the license and use new sanctions powers approved by Congress last month to increase economic pressure on Moscow and countries helping sustain its war, particularly China. The agreement has added to tensions over Trump’s approach to the Ukraine war, with the US president repeatedly criticizing Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.
The 12 lawmakers — including six members of Trump’s Republican Party — called on the president to reverse his agreement with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to allow the country’s diesel onto global markets. Trump announced Friday that Putin had agreed to release more than 300,000 tons of diesel immediately, with another 500,000 tons to follow in November, in an effort to curb fuel prices.
Instead, they said, the deal would provide the Kremlin with additional revenue to finance its invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year.
