US President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his diesel deal with Russia, saying the fuel was intended to stabilise global markets hit by high prices and would not be supplied to the United States. The deal has drawn criticism from lawmakers across party lines, who argue that it could help finance Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“That's a diesel deal. Not for us. That's being released into the world. That's not being released to us,” Trump told reporters here on Tuesday, amid growing opposition to the agreement he announced last week following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On October 9, Trump announced that Russia would supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.”
To facilitate the shipments, the US Treasury Department issued a temporary licence easing sanctions on Russian diesel shipments to global markets until April 7, 2027. The move came ahead of November congressional midterms, with diesel prices surging amid supply disruptions caused by the Iran war.
“That's a diesel deal that's going to be released into the world for the world market, because the world market suffered with high prices. And when you knock out diesel refineries, that’s not a great thing. But they are not releasing it to us. They are releasing it to the entire world,” Trump said.
Republicans and Democrats have criticised the agreement, announced three weeks after the US Congress authorised Trump to impose sweeping sanctions on Russia and slapped tariffs on its key trading partners, including China and India.
On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of US senators wrote to Trump, calling the agreement a “gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies”.
“The deal you struck with President Vladimir Putin on October 9 will not achieve just ends, nor will it benefit Americans,” the senators said.
The letter was signed by Democrats Richard Blumenthal, Chris Coons, Dick Durbin, Jack Reed, Jeanne Shaheen and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with Republicans Alan Armstrong, Susan Collins, John Cornyn, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis.
"This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies; it should be rescinded," the letter said.
The senators acknowledged the need to lower energy costs for Americans but argued that allowing Russian diesel into global markets would offer limited to no relief to consumers in the US.
The deal “only provides Putin with more fuel to finance his war machine and enables Russia to continue its brutal attacks on Ukrainian civilians,” they said.
“It will have a negligible impact on fuel prices, but the revenues the Kremlin will receive from this agreement will undoubtedly finance its desired war of attrition and advance its security cooperation with China, Iran, and North Korea,” the senators said.
Last month, Congress passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which Trump swiftly signed into law.
“Both chambers passed the legislation with resounding, bipartisan votes, clearly demonstrating our intent and granting you the authorities to broker a just and fair peace,” the senators said.
They argued that the law requires the president to apply economic pressure on Russia and the main enablers of its war, particularly China, to strengthen the US negotiating position and bring a swift end to the conflict.