WorldPosted at: Oct 11 2026 5:46PM


Trump’s Russian Diesel deal draws Bipartisan fire as Republicans challenge Ukraine remarks

Washington, Oct 11 (UNI) President Donald Trump’s plan to allow Russian diesel supplies into the United States and global markets has drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, exposing divisions within his party over easing pressure on Moscow as the administration grapples with rising fuel costs linked to the Iran war.
Republican lawmakers have questioned the decision to import Russian fuel, while others have pushed back against Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine needs a new president.
Democrats have accused the president of helping finance Russia’s war against Ukraine in an effort to contain energy costs and limit the domestic political fallout from the conflict with Iran.
Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republica extended support to Trump’s efforts to bring down fuel prices but opposed sourcing diesel from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I don’t support his decision to import it from Putin. Vladimir Putin is a butcher. He’s a butcher of his own people. And he’s a butcher of the good people of Ukraine,” Kennedy said.
“He will never be our friend,” he added, arguing that an end to the war in Iran would do more to lower diesel prices.
Former Representative Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican campaigning for an open Senate seat, also opposed importing Russian fuel. He said he had called for a temporary ban on fuel exports to ease costs for farmers during the harvest season.
Trump announced the agreement in a Friday post on Truth Social, saying Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel fuel to the United States and global markets, followed by another 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons thereafter.
The announcement comes as the administration faces pressure over energy costs amid US military operations against Iran and the continuing Russia-Ukraine war. Rising living costs have also become a political concern for Republicans ahead of November’s congressional elections.
Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania unveiled a bipartisan bill on Saturday, the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act, which he said would prevent Trump from lifting sanctions on Russia. Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska has signed on as a co-sponsor, though the Democratic sponsor was not immediately clear.
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has the overwhelming support of the United States Congress, he has the overwhelming support of the American people, and he has the overwhelming support of the Ukrainian people,” Fitzpatrick wrote on social media.
Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, a former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, warned that easing restrictions on Russian oil could provide fresh resources for Moscow’s war effort.
“I’m concerned the lifting of sanctions on Russian oil will only fund the Kremlin’s war machine—emboldening more violence and destruction, as we have seen in recent days,” McCaul said.
He pointed out that Congress had already passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which he said gave the president significant authority and leverage over China and Russia to press Putin towards a negotiated settlement in Ukraine.
Trump signed the legislation in September. It calls for tariffs of up to 100% on major purchasers of Russian energy or countries helping Moscow evade sanctions.
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska also urged Trump to use those powers rather than allow Russia to increase its energy revenues.
“[Trump] should be using those authorities instead of allowing Russia to export diesel, rake in revenues, and continue its catastrophic war in Ukraine,” Murkowski wrote on X.
“We can discuss Russia’s return to global energy markets once the war is over, but in the meantime, we need to cut off everything fueling it,” she added.
Democrats were even more forceful in their criticism, accusing Trump of reversing US pressure on Moscow to address the economic consequences of his military campaign against Iran.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York described the agreement as a “deal with the devil” intended to protect Trump’s “flailing political fortunes”.
“This filthy deal will only aid and abet the same Putin who is helping the Iranians to target and try to kill American troops in the Middle East and who illegally and viciously invaded our ally Ukraine,” Schumer wrote on X.
Representative Don Beyer of Virginia, the senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, called the move “infuriating”, saying it reinforced concerns about the administration’s approach to Russia.
“But this is what we warned anyone who would listen: Trump isn’t the slightest bit trustworthy when it comes to Russia,” Beyer said.
“Giving him expanded tariff powers in hopes he would use them to help Ukraine was a mistake,” he added. “Now he’s lifting sanctions on Russian fossil fuels.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, a member of the Senate Judiciary and Armed Services committees, urged Trump to “rescind this agreement immediately”.
“This poorly concealed attempt to mitigate the havoc caused by Trump’s illegal war in Iran will only benefit the Chinese & Russian economies & lead to the slaughter of more innocents in Ukraine,” Blumenthal wrote on X.
Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, accused the president of “considering bankrolling Russia’s slaughter of Ukrainian civilians”.
“Lifting sanctions on Russia will only fuel Putin’s war machine and prolong the conflict in Ukraine,” Durbin said.
Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Trump was “rewarding Putin with a windfall agreement that won’t even lower prices”.
Representative Gabe Amo of Rhode Island, vice-ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also criticised the agreement, pointing to the administration’s earlier support for tougher sanctions.
“After signing a law to ramp up sanctions on Russia, Trump is paying Putin for oil to deal with the high gas prices caused by his choice of war with Iran? That’s not punishing Putin, that’s profit,” Amo wrote on social media, adding, “Make it make sense.”
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