Bipartisan US senators urge Trump to scrap Russian diesel deal

• Bipartisan US senators urged Trump to cancel his Russian diesel deal, calling it a “betrayal” that would help Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
• They said the diesel would do little to cut fuel prices, but would give the Kremlin more money and hurt US and allied security interests.
• The letter, led by Richard Blumenthal and backed by six Republicans, pressed Trump to revoke the licence and use tougher sanctions on Russia and its supporters.

WASHINGTON - Republican and Democratic US senators joined forces on Oct 13 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.

“Granting Moscow the ability to sell Russian diesel freely in global markets damages American security interests and is a betrayal of the people of Ukraine, who continue to defend themselves from Putin’s murderous, illegal war,” they wrote in a letter spearheaded by Democrat Richard Blumenthal.

“This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies; it should be rescinded.”

The senators acknowledged the urgent need to reduce energy costs, which have surged amid the US war with Iran, but argued that the Russian supplies would have a negligible effect on prices.

Instead, they said, the deal would provide the Kremlin with additional revenue to finance its invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year.

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.

Trump announced on Oct 9 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.

The US Treasury Department subsequently issued a temporary license allowing transactions involving Russian-origin diesel, including its sale and import.

The senators urged Trump to revoke the license and use new sanctions powers approved by Congress in September to increase economic pressure on Moscow and countries helping sustain its war, particularly China.

“Putin is a tyrant,” they wrote, demanding that Trump instead pursue a settlement that protects Ukraine’s sovereignty and security.

The senators’ scepticism over the economic benefits of the deal was echoed on Oct 13 by European Union economy chief Valdis Dombrovskis.

The proposed Russian diesel supplies were “not of any macroeconomic significance,” he told AFP, also questioning whether Moscow could deliver the promised volumes.

The agreement has added to tensions over Trump’s approach to the Ukraine war, with the US president repeatedly criticising Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.

On Oct 10, Trump warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he “better damn well stop” the attacks.

Blumenthal accused Putin of exploiting the diplomatic impasse while seeking to inflict further hardship on Ukraine as winter approaches.

“Once again, he’s playing Trump for a fool,” he wrote on X. AFP