Donald Trump’s newly announced diesel agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin has placed Republicans in an uncomfortable position, forcing them to defend the arrangement as they head toward the midterm elections.
American diesel prices surged to a record $6.53 a gallon last month before easing to $6.28, according to AAA.
Gasoline prices followed a similar path, peaking at $4.50 last month and slipping to $4.34 on Tuesday. Regular gas previously reached its record high of slightly more than $5 a gallon in June 2022.
The pressure has extended well beyond the fuel pump. Higher transportation and shipping expenses have also driven up the price of consumer goods.
With rising fuel costs threatening Republican prospects before the November 3 midterm elections, Trump unveiled what he described as a friendly US-Russia agreement intended to bring prices down.
The announcement quickly drew fire from lawmakers in both parties, who argued that the arrangement could help finance Russia’s war in Ukraine, violate US law and deepen ties between the Trump and Putin administrations.
“The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians,” seven senators, including four Republicans, said in a joint statement Sunday.
The Republican signatories were Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, John Curtis of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin announced an agreement on US-Russia oil exports Friday, prompting immediate outrage from members of the president’s own party
US gasoline and diesel prices have climbed amid the war with Iran and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, putting additional strain on global oil supplies
Recent Russian and Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure have added to instability in both countries and disrupted fuel exports worldwide
Trump struck back Monday, defending the agreement in a social media post: “I made the right choice for the American People — ALWAYS, AMERICA FIRST!”
He also accused news organizations of ignoring the fact that other countries continue to buy Russian oil.
“The European Union paid Russia 250 Billion Dollars for Energy, and the Fake News Media doesn’t want to get near that story,” Trump wrote.
Trump did not identify the source of the figure, although it broadly aligns with estimates that the European Union has bought at least $239 billion in Russian energy since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The US-Russia diesel agreement followed a phone call between Trump and Putin on Friday. Under the plan, the administration would issue temporary licenses permitting Russian diesel imports into the United States for six months.
“While I understand the desire to bring down diesel prices, I am concerned the lifting of sanctions on Russian oil will only fund the Kremlin’s war machine—emboldening more violence and destruction, as we have seen in recent days,” Republican Congressman Michael McCaul of Texas said Friday.
Several lawmakers have called the agreement illegal, pointing to legislation Congress passed in 2022 banning Russian energy imports soon after the war in Ukraine began.
“I do believe there’s a legitimate case for saying the president’s not following the law,” Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina said recently.
Republican Senator Susan Collins has repeatedly criticized the US-Russia agreement while campaigning for re-election in a closely contested Maine race
Trump has condemned Ukraine for its strikes on Russian oil facilities
‘Congress explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent American dollars from financing (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine,’ the seven senators said in their joint statement.
They also claim that the administration did not consult with Congress before the decision, which would be required by law.
One of the signatories, Republican Senator Susan Collins, who is facing a tight re-election race in Maine, also gave a full-throated disavowal of the policy on social media to distance herself from the policy.
‘I oppose President Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on the purchase of diesel from Russia,’ she wrote. ‘I was a cosponsor of the Russian sanctions law, which the President recently signed but is now not following.’
