More Republicans come out against Trump's diesel deal with Putin
Senators told Trump, the deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin "will not achieve just ends, nor will it benefit Americans."
Key points
- Six Republican senators joined six Democrats in a letter urging Trump to cancel the Russia diesel deal.
- The deal allows Russia to export 4.8 million metric tons of diesel through mid-April.
- The senators say the deal contradicts the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.
Six Republican senators have joined six Democratic colleagues in a letter urging President Donald Trump to cancel an arrangement that lets Vladimir Putin's Russia temporarily export diesel fuel on the global market. The letter, sent Tuesday, expands bipartisan criticism of the deal Trump announced Friday after a call with Putin.
The deal permits Russia to supply 4.8 million metric tons, or nearly 36 million barrels, of diesel through mid-April. The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on the letter.
What the senators said
The lawmakers wrote that the deal "is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies; it should be rescinded." They said it "will not achieve just ends, nor will it benefit Americans" and that it "will have a negligible impact on fuel prices."
They also alleged that the deal contradicts the bipartisan Russian sanctions law Trump signed a few weeks before announcing it. The senators called on Trump to withdraw from the agreement, rescind General License No. 135, and execute the authorities under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.
I made the right choice for the American People — ALWAYS, AMERICA FIRST!
— Donald Trump
Republican signatories
The Republican senators who signed were Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, Alan Armstrong of Oklahoma, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and John Cornyn of Texas. Armstrong previously served as CEO of Williams Companies, the largest natural gas-focused company in the U.S.
Collins, Murkowski and Tillis had already spoken out, joining a Sunday statement with Democrats that urged Trump not to "provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians." Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah had also joined that statement.
