Seven senators urge Trump to reverse Russia diesel deal

Seven U.S. senators from both parties demanded on Sunday that President Donald Trump reverse a deal to ease sanctions on Russian diesel, saying Congress banned Russian energy imports in 2022 and the administration did not consult lawmakers.

The joint statement, from Republicans Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis and John Curtis and Democrats Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal and Ron Wyden, is the sharpest congressional challenge yet to an arrangement Trump announced on Oct. 9 under which Russia would supply 300,000 tonnes of diesel to global markets, with a further 500,000 tonnes due in November, according to Al Jazeera.

“Congress explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022,” the senators said, according to the Spokesman-Review. “The Administration must immediately reverse course.” Al Jazeera reported that the group also wrote that the United States “should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline.”

Trump has said the arrangement followed a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and is meant to ease a diesel shortage and record fuel prices, which TIME and Al Jazeera reported have risen since the war with Iran began in February. Analysts cited by both outlets said the move is unlikely to bring prices down for long.

Tillis, who is not seeking re-election and whose term ends in January, went further on NBC’s Meet the Press on Oct. 11. “I do believe there’s a legitimate case for saying the president’s not following the law,” he said, adding that his support for Trump’s legislative priorities depends on the White House changing course.

Critics also point to the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which Trump signed last month. Al Jazeera reported that it bars U.S. investment in Russia’s energy sector.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the move on Fox News on Oct. 11, saying the administration is acting under “all the legal authorities we have,” according to TIME and Al Jazeera. Sen. John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, said on CBS’s Face the Nation that the president “has to make tough decisions,” TIME reported. TIME said it asked the White House for comment and had received no response.

Opposition is not limited to the Senate. The Kyiv Independent reported on Oct. 10 that Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick said he would introduce bipartisan legislation to block all purchases of Russian oil. Republican Rep. Don Bacon and former vice-president Mike Pence have also criticized the deal, according to the Spokesman-Review. It was not clear from the reports reviewed when, or whether, either chamber would vote.

The dispute has a Canadian dimension. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office said after a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Oct. 11 that the agreement “is in direct opposition to the efforts of Ukraine, Canada, and our allies.” Ottawa has said it will keep its sanctions on Russia in place. Canada News Media reported Carney’s response on Oct. 12.

The diesel arrangement was announced alongside Trump’s claim of an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. TIME reported that Zelenskyy said overnight Russian strikes on Oct. 12 hit energy facilities, which he called violations of the ceasefire. An earlier Russian strike on a Kharkiv plant followed the announcement, and Trump has said Ukraine needs a new leader. Moscow had not commented on the ceasefire in the reports reviewed.

This story is developing. Canada News Media has not seen the text of the Treasury licence or order that eased the sanctions, and the volumes cited come from Trump’s announcement as reported by Al Jazeera.

Via TIME, Al Jazeera, the Spokesman-Review and the Kyiv Independent.

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