Trump defends Russian diesel agreement as bipartisan opposition grows
Trump says a plan to bring 300,000 tons of Russian diesel to U.S. and global markets will ease prices. A bipartisan group of senators argues that the move conflicts with a 2022 import ban and gives Moscow new revenue.
President Donald Trump defended an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to send 300,000 tons of diesel to U.S. and global markets, arguing that the plan would reduce fuel costs. The proposal has drawn objections from lawmakers in both parties who say it may conflict with existing restrictions on Russian energy imports.
Trump announced the arrangement Friday as diesel prices remained elevated. On Monday he said he had made the right choice for Americans and framed the decision as part of his effort to bring energy prices down.
Four Republican senators and three Democrats issued a joint statement urging the administration to reverse course. Republicans Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Thom Tillis and John Curtis joined Democrats Jeanne Shaheen, Ron Wyden and Richard Blumenthal in arguing that Congress barred Russian energy imports in 2022 to keep U.S. money from supporting the war in Ukraine.
Their statement said the administration had not consulted Congress or explained the legal basis for the diesel plan. Tillis said there was a legitimate question about whether the president was following the 2022 law, which ties any resumption of imports to conditions that include a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine.
The administration disputes that interpretation. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the plan would use existing legal authorities and argued that neither the 2022 ban nor newer sanctions legislation prevents the transaction.
The dispute comes only weeks after Trump signed a broad Russia sanctions measure aimed at financial institutions and energy revenue. Murkowski and Collins said allowing new diesel purchases would work against the pressure Congress intended to create. Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick said he planned bipartisan legislation to block purchases of Russian oil.
Trump has said the Russian supply could help lower diesel costs that rose after the Iran war began in February. Farmers, freight operators and other heavy diesel users have reported pressure from higher prices. Critics counter that the amount under discussion is unlikely to transform the U.S. market and that the geopolitical cost outweighs any limited price relief.
European governments also criticized the plan. Officials from Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Ireland and the United Kingdom said Russian energy revenue continues to support Moscow's war effort and called for more pressure rather than renewed purchases.
The debate leaves two questions unresolved: whether the administration can legally authorize the imports without Congress, and whether 300,000 tons of diesel would make a noticeable difference to U.S. prices. Lawmakers are preparing legislation while the White House moves forward with the arrangement.
Sources and image credit
Reporting: Reuters
Reporting: TIME
Image: Official White House photo by Daniel Torok via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).