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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
A bipartisan group of 12 U.S. senators has written to President Donald Trump urging him to terminate the recent deal with Vladimir Putin that allows Russian diesel fuel to return to world markets. The letter to the president, dated 9 October, represents a joint initiative by Democrats and Republicans in the Senate. The senators demand not only that the agreement be canceled but also that sanctions against Russia, provided by the law passed last month, be implemented immediately. In their view, this concession to Moscow undercuts the United States’ negotiating position and harms Ukraine.
The letter was signed by Democrats Richard Blumenthal, Chris Coons, Dick Durbin, Jack Reed, Jeanne Shaheen, and Sheldon Whitehouse, as well as Republicans Alan Armstrong, Susan Collins, John Cornyn, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, and Thom Tillis. This is reported in a statement on Senator Richard Blumenthal’s website. It concerns General License No. 135, issued by the U.S. Treasury to remove restrictions on the export of Russian diesel.
"Providing Moscow with the ability to freely sell Russian diesel fuel on world markets harms U.S. security interests and is a betrayal of the Ukrainian people, who continue to defend themselves against Putin’s deadly, illegal war. This agreement is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies; it should be canceled," the senators wrote.
The lawmakers insist that instead of concessions to Moscow, the president should use the powers entrusted to him by Congress by enacting the "Lindsey Graham Sanctions on Russia and Iran" law.
"These authorities require you to pressure Russia economically and to target its principal facilitators of its war, including China, thereby strengthening your leverage in negotiations to swiftly end this destructive conflict," the senators wrote.
The senators stressed that any peace agreement regarding Ukraine must be based on fair terms and protect the democratic values, sovereignty, and security of the state. In closing the letter, they adopted a stark rhetoric toward Putin himself.
"For decades America has been a beacon of freedom against tyranny, and American presidents have embodied the resistance of our nation to tyrants. Putin is a tyrant. Exit this deal, cancel General License No. 135, and exercise the authorities provided by the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctions Act on Russia and Iran 2026 year," the letter states.
Why the diesel deal sparked controversy in Washington
The White House had explained the deal to ease export restrictions on Russian diesel as necessary to curb fuel prices for Americans. Yet in their letter, the senators noted that the impact on U.S. fuel prices would be minimal, while the revenue generated for the Kremlin would fund the war and deepen Russia’s cooperation with China, Iran, and North Korea.
The lawmakers also noted that the decision creates risks for American service members stationed abroad as part of Operation "Epic Fury." In their view, the beneficiaries of the deal would not be the United States but India and China, which would buy the majority of the freed Russian diesel.
Earlier, Informant reported that members of Congress had urged Trump to tighten sanctions on Russia even before reports of possible loosening of restrictions from the White House. We also noted that Vladyslav Vlasjuk, an aide to the head of the Office of the President, welcomed the adoption of strict American sanctions against Russia, calling them an important instrument of pressure on the Kremlin ahead of the war’s end.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Група сенаторів написали Трампу через дизельну угоду з Путіним – це зрада". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Informator.
