WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump defended his plan to permit Russian diesel imports on Monday, pushing back against mounting criticism from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers who argue the move undermines American foreign policy and sanctions against Moscow.
Trump announced on Friday that he reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to immediately bring 300,000 tons of Russian diesel fuel into the United States, with millions more anticipated. The temporary measure would ease restrictions to allow Russian fuel onto U.S. and international markets for six months in response to rising domestic fuel prices, according to reports from ABC News and CNBC.
Lawmakers push back against Moscow agreement
The announcement immediately drew sharp resistance on Capitol Hill. A bipartisan coalition of seven senators issued a joint statement Sunday demanding that the administration change direction, arguing that purchasing energy from Russia directly assists its military campaign in Ukraine.
“The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians,” the senators said in the statement reported by CNBC and ABC News. The coalition includes Republican Sens. Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, John Curtis and Lisa Murkowski, alongside Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal and Ron Wyden.
The lawmakers asserted that Trump’s initiative violates the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act passed by Congress in April 2022. While that statute allows a president to lift energy import bans under specific conditions, the senators argued that the White House did not consult lawmakers or provide the statutorily mandated explanation, ABC News reported.
Tillis criticized the measure during an appearance Sunday on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” stating that the agreement runs counter to recently enacted legislation authorizing penalties on buyers of Russian crude. “I completely reject it,” Tillis said, adding that “it was Vladimir Putin, not Zelenskyy, that started this war.”
Trump cites European energy purchases
Trump responded to the backlash Monday in a post on Truth Social, defending the arrangement as beneficial for the domestic economy and accusing reporters of ignoring historical purchases by allies. Trump wrote that the European Union spent $250 billion on Russian energy, adding, “I made the right choice for the American People — ALWAYS, AMERICA FIRST!”
While Trump did not outline a precise timeframe, data compiled by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air on EU fossil fuel imports since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine roughly matches that dollar figure, ABC News and CNBC reported. The European Commission has instituted an initiative aimed at winding down Russian fuel reliance.
Some congressional allies backed the president’s decision. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer told ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday that the transaction demonstrated “our president thinking out of the box” to shield consumers from elevated fuel expenses, while also framing it as an effort to facilitate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
International reaction and unresolved legal questions
Overseas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the arrangement in an interview with ABC News over the weekend, characterizing the policy shift as an “obvious weakness” that plays into the Kremlin’s strategic interests.
It remains unclear whether Congress will pursue formal legislative steps to block the shipments or whether the administration will submit a formal legal justification for waiving the 2022 import restrictions.
