Republican and Democratic Senators Urge End to U.S. Diesel Deal That Could Help Russia’s War Machine
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A bipartisan group of twelve senators asked President Donald Trump to terminate a temporary arrangement allowing Russia to export diesel, saying it would do little for U.S. fuel prices while helping finance Moscow’s war effort.
Six Republican senators joined six Democratic colleagues in a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to cancel a temporary agreement that permits Russia to export about 4.8 million metric tons of diesel fuel through mid-April. The lawmakers argued that the arrangement would offer only marginal relief to American consumers while sending revenue to the Kremlin that could help sustain its military operations and wider security partnerships.
The Republican signatories include Sens. Thom Tillis (North Carolina), Susan Collins (Maine), Alan Armstrong (Oklahoma), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) and John Cornyn (Texas). The Democratic members are Sens. Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut), Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire), Dick Durbin (Illinois), Chris Coons (Delaware), Sheldon Whitehouse (Rhode Island) and Jack Reed (Rhode Island). Armstrong previously led an energy company, Williams Companies.
In the letter, the senators wrote that the deal “will not achieve just ends, nor will it benefit Americans,” adding that “allowing Russian-origin diesel into global markets will offer limited to no relief to Americans” and that the revenues “will undoubtedly finance its desired war of attrition and advance its security cooperation with China, Iran, and North Korea.”
The White House has not responded to requests for comment. Earlier statements from some of the Republican senators had also warned that the arrangement could provide a financial lifeline to Russia while the country continues its war in Ukraine.