A bipartisan group of senators is urging Donald Trump to scrap his recently announced diesel deal with Russia, warning it could help President Vladimir Putin finance his war against Ukraine and calling the agreement "a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies.""The Treasury Department’s General License No.135, which lifts sanctions on Russia’s diesel exports, only provides Putin with more fuel to finance his war machine and enables Russia to continue its brutal attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
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from Putin’s murderous, illegal war.This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies; it should be rescinded," the senators asserted in the missive.The letter, which also includes a note of cc to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is signed by GOP Sens.
Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Alan Stuart Armstrong of Oklahoma, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and John Cornyn of Texas, as well as Democratic Sens.Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, and Chris Coons of Delaware.REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS BREAK WITH TRUMP ON DIESEL DEAL WITH RUSSIARanking defense subcommittee member Sen.
Chris Coons, D-Del., (L) and committee chairwoman Sen.Susan Collins, R-Maine, (R) look on as subcommittee chairman Sen.
Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks during a hearing with the Senate Appropriations Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on June 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)"We also recognize the urgent need to lower energy costs for American families and address the disruptions caused by the war with Iran.
However, allowing Russian-origin diesel into globa...