Seven senators, four of them Republicans, say Trump's Russian diesel deal breaks a 2022 import ban

A bipartisan group of senators has asked the administration to "immediately reverse course" on its plan to bring Russian diesel to market. The four Republicans in the group are Thom Tillis, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and John Curtis. They argue that Congress banned Russian energy imports in 2022 and that the president's decision "runs directly counter to that law." The senators also said the administration did not consult Congress or submit the explanation required by statute, The Hindu reported.

President Trump announced the arrangement after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said Russia would supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel immediately and 500,000 tons in November, followed by 1 million tons and then another 3 million tons. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a temporary general license through April 7 to allow the trade. Lawmakers from both parties told the Financial Times that the deal would finance Russia's war and violate US law.

The deal reverses US policy only a month after Trump signed a broad sanctions law aimed at Russia's energy sector, which directs the administration to target major buyers of Russian oil and gas. Indian commentators have noted the contrast with 2025, when Washington put an extra tariff on Indian goods because India kept buying Russian crude. Now the United States is licensing Russian fuel sales to bring down its own diesel prices.

Congress has limited ways to block the deal. The senators can object and hold hearings, but reversing a Treasury license would require legislation that the president can veto. Earlier this year, Republican Senate leadership held back a sanctions push that the White House opposed.