Trump Faces Backlash Over Russian Diesel Import Deal

US President Donald Trump is facing criticism over his plan to import diesel from Russia as the Iran war continues to affect global energy prices.

On Friday, Trump announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to release 300,000 tonnes of diesel immediately “to the American and global marketplace”. Russia will then send several more shipments.

The move comes just weeks after Trump signed legislation allowing new US sanctions and tariffs on countries importing Russian oil and gas. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have criticised the deal, saying it violates US laws.

According to Trump, Russia will supply another 500,000 tonnes of diesel in November, followed by one million tonnes and an additional three million tonnes. The final shipments will be delivered “within a short period”, depending on the condition of Russian refineries damaged by Ukrainian attacks.

“Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak confirmed the figures to the state-owned news agency Tass. He also said Russia’s diesel exports could reach three million tonnes per month in the future.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the agreement, calling it a gift to Putin and describing it as “an investment in a war that must be ended”.

Under the deal, the US Treasury is reportedly suspending sanctions on Russian diesel exports until 7 April. However, other Russian assets, including those held in American banks, will remain frozen.

On Sunday, a group of seven US senators, including four Republicans and three Democrats, said the deal violated US laws and urged Trump to “reverse course”.

“The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians,” the lawmakers said.

They also said Congress had “explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent American dollars from financing Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine”.

The statement was signed by Republican senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis and John Curtis, along with Democratic senators Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal and Ron Wyden.