BIPARTISAN LAWMAKERS MOVE TO BLOCK RUSSIAN DIESEL IMPORTS AND PROTECT UKRAINE INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick says the Treasury Department’s decision to allow Russian diesel imports undermines the bipartisan energy ban Congress enacted in 2022 to cut off revenue for Putin’s war.
Alongside fellow Republican Don Bacon and Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Fitzpatrick has introduced the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act. The proposal would nullify the waiver, enforce the existing import ban and safeguard critical American intelligence support for Ukraine.
“Not a single drop of Russian oil should enter the United States while Putin continues his brutal war against Ukraine,” Fitzpatrick said. “We cannot stand with Ukraine while opening our markets to the energy revenues fueling Russia’s aggression.”
The legislation connects two important parts of Ukraine’s defense: maintaining economic pressure on Russia and preserving the intelligence cooperation that helps Ukraine respond to Russian attacks. Opening markets to Russian fuel weakens that pressure, while uncertainty over intelligence sharing puts another essential form of support at risk.
Introducing the bill begins the legislative process; it still needs congressional approval and enactment before its protections take effect.
But the bipartisan initiative puts a clear demand before Washington: uphold the sanctions already written into law and protect the cooperation helping Ukraine defend itself.
As Fitzpatrick put it: “Aggression must carry a cost greater than its reward.”