"A gift for Putin": 12 US senators call on Trump to cancel the diesel deal
In the US, six Democratic and six Republican senators have called on Donald Trump to abandon a diesel fuel agreement with Russia. In their view, the deal will not significantly lower fuel prices for Americans, but it will provide the Kremlin with additional funds to continue the war in Ukraine.
“Gift to Putin”: 12 US Senators urge Trump to cancel diesel deal
According to DW, senators led by Richard Blumenthal sent a letter with this content to the US President on October 13.
The appeal notes that Congress and the American people support an end to the war in Ukraine, but peace must be established on just terms.
The senators stated that lifting US sanctions on Russian diesel exports would provide Putin's military machine with additional funding and allow for the continuation of attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
“This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies. It must be cancelled,” the letter states.
According to the authors of the appeal, American families struggling with high fuel prices will not feel significant relief as a result of Russian diesel returning to the global market.
Therefore, they called on Trump to step up economic pressure on Russia and the countries helping it continue the war, in particular China. The senators asked to use the powers granted by the law on sanctions against Russia and Iran for this purpose.
The letter was signed by Democrats Richard Blumenthal, Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Durbin, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jack Reed, and Christopher Coons. They were joined by Republicans Mitch McConnell, Thom Tillis, Susan Collins, Alan Stuart Armstrong, Lisa Murkowski, and John Cornyn.
Copies of the appeal were also sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
On October 9, following a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin, Trump announced that an agreement had been reached on the supply of Russian diesel fuel to the American and global markets.
According to his statement, Russian companies are initially to ship more than 300 thousand tons, another 500 thousand tons in November, and 1 million tons thereafter. Later, the delivery of another 3 million tons was also mentioned, but no specific timeframe was indicated for this volume.
The US Department of the Treasury has issued a general license suspending the operation of sanctions against Russian diesel until April 2027.