A bipartisan coalition of US senators has condemned President Donald Trump's unprecedented agreement to purchase massive quantities of Russian diesel as a blatant violation of federal law, demanding the administration "immediately reverse course" on a deal that effectively dismantles Washington's own sanctions regime against Moscow.
The furious backlash erupted after Trump announced on social media Friday that he had struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call.
Under the deal, Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the American and global market, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November, 1 million tons shortly thereafter, and an additional 3 million tons "within a short period of time." In exchange, the United States would temporarily ease its sanctions on Russian energy.
Seven senators from both parties issued a joint statement on Sunday declaring the deal illegal and unconstitutional in its circumvention of congressional authority.
"Congress explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent American dollars from financing Putin's brutal war against Ukraine," the joint statement read. "Congress was clear: the US should not import oil from Russia until it ends its aggression against Ukraine and ceases threats against our NATO Allies."
The lawmakers—Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal, and Ron Wyden, alongside Republican Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, John Curtis, and Thom Tillis—accused the Trump administration of failing to consult with Congress or submit any statutory justification for the decision.
"President Trump's decision to allow Russian diesel imports to the US runs directly counter to that law," the statement continued. "The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians. The Administration must immediately reverse course."
Senator Tillis, speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," went further, acknowledging that there is "a legitimate case for saying the president is not following the law" if the administration proceeds with the purchase.
Energy experts have dismissed the deal as a politically motivated stunt that will do little to ease the pain at the pump while inflicting severe damage on the credibility of US sanctions.
Trump, who has repeatedly sought to blame record US diesel prices on Ukraine rather than the US-led war on Iran that has sent global energy prices skyrocketing, has now been forced into a humiliating capitulation, bypassing his own administration's sanctions architecture to secure Russian fuel.
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