12 Senators Urge Trump to Scrap Russian Diesel Sanctions Relief
(MENAFN) A bipartisan bloc of 12 US senators pressed President Donald Trump on Tuesday to reverse his decision to ease sanctions on Russian diesel exports. They warned it could bankroll Moscow’s war on Ukraine while doing little to lower costs for American consumers.
In a letter to Trump, the lawmakers took aim at the deal he reached with Vladimir Putin on Oct. 9:
“The deal you struck with President Vladimir Putin on October 9th will not achieve just ends, nor will it benefit Americans.
“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,” the senators wrote to Trump.
The senators conceded that the administration faces pressure to curb rising household energy costs and to manage disruptions tied to the war involving Iran. Even so, they argued that letting Russian-origin diesel flow into global markets would barely move US fuel prices.
Any benefit to consumers, they said, would be dwarfed by the revenue Russia could channel into its military campaign and into deeper security ties with China, Iran and North Korea. They also cautioned that a larger Russian war chest could endanger US service members deployed abroad in support of Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
The letter invoked the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which cleared Congress last month with strong bipartisan backing before Trump signed it into law.
The senators closed with a direct appeal to the president:
“For decades, America has stood as the bastion of freedom against tyranny, and American presidents have embodied our nation’s resistance to tyrants. Putin is a tyrant.
“Withdraw from this agreement, rescind General License No. 135, and execute the authorities provided under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Maintain our legacy – and the duty America holds – as leader of the free world,” they wrote.
Who signed
Six Democrats signed the letter: Richard Blumenthal, Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Durbin, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jack Reed and Chris Coons. They were joined by six Republicans: Thom Tillis, Susan Collins, Alan Armstrong, Lisa Murkowski, Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn.
In a letter to Trump, the lawmakers took aim at the deal he reached with Vladimir Putin on Oct. 9:
“The deal you struck with President Vladimir Putin on October 9th will not achieve just ends, nor will it benefit Americans.
“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,” the senators wrote to Trump.
The senators conceded that the administration faces pressure to curb rising household energy costs and to manage disruptions tied to the war involving Iran. Even so, they argued that letting Russian-origin diesel flow into global markets would barely move US fuel prices.
Any benefit to consumers, they said, would be dwarfed by the revenue Russia could channel into its military campaign and into deeper security ties with China, Iran and North Korea. They also cautioned that a larger Russian war chest could endanger US service members deployed abroad in support of Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
The letter invoked the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which cleared Congress last month with strong bipartisan backing before Trump signed it into law.
The senators closed with a direct appeal to the president:
“For decades, America has stood as the bastion of freedom against tyranny, and American presidents have embodied our nation’s resistance to tyrants. Putin is a tyrant.
“Withdraw from this agreement, rescind General License No. 135, and execute the authorities provided under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Maintain our legacy – and the duty America holds – as leader of the free world,” they wrote.
Who signed
Six Democrats signed the letter: Richard Blumenthal, Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Durbin, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jack Reed and Chris Coons. They were joined by six Republicans: Thom Tillis, Susan Collins, Alan Armstrong, Lisa Murkowski, Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn.
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