Senators demand Trump reverse Russia diesel deal — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Trump announced Putin had agreed to release 300,000 tonnes of diesel immediately to US and global markets, with Russia pledging 500,000 tonnes in November, one million more afterward, and a further three million tonnes pending refinery conditions.
- A bipartisan group of seven senators — Republicans Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis and John Curtis, plus Democrats Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal and Ron Wyden — urged Trump to "reverse course," arguing the deal violates the 2022 congressional ban on Russian energy imports.
- The US Treasury is suspending sanctions on Russian diesel exports until April 7 as part of the arrangement, even though Trump had signed legislation authorizing fresh sanctions on nations importing Russian oil and gas just weeks prior.
- Ukraine's Zelensky called the deal "an investment in a war that must be ended," while Canadian PM Mark Carney and UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting also criticized it; Russia's Deputy PM Alexander Novak separately confirmed the export volumes to state agency Tass.
- US average diesel prices have hit $6.28/gallon, down from a record $6.53 in September, amid supply shocks from the war with Iran; analysts questioned whether Russia can physically deliver the promised volumes given ongoing Ukrainian attacks on its refineries.
- Trump separately announced on Sunday an "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine, welcomed by Zelensky but met with silence from Moscow.
Why it matters: A president who signed sanctions on Russian energy weeks ago is now its largest diesel customer — a contradiction seven senators say is illegal. With diesel at $6.28/gallon and midterms weeks away, the deal trades geopolitical credibility for price relief that analysts say Russia's damaged refineries may not deliver.
Ask SkimNews
