Washington (EFE).- The United States President Donald Trump defended on Tuesday the agreement with Russia to supply Russian diesel to international markets, a move that has eased sanctions on Moscow and sparked discontent among Republican ranks.
Speaking at the White House, Trump argued that the deal is not exclusively for the United States and that this energy source is being released to the world, while criticizing Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries as «because that’s a world problem.»
Several Republican lawmakers, including four senators, spoke out on Sunday against the deal and the subsequent authorization for the sale, delivery, and import of Russian diesel (including its entry into the US market) until April 7, 2027, despite active sanctions.
In a bipartisan statement, also signed by three Senate Democrats, they noted that Congress «explicitly» banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent «American dollars from financing Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine.»
Trump defended before reporters the license issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) allowing these operations, while maintaining restrictions on payments through accounts linked to three Russian state financial entities.
For these lawmakers, the president’s decision directly contradicts the sanctions law, a point they added to their criticism over the lack of Congressional consultation or any «explanation to justify its decision as required by statute.»
Trump heads to Alaska on Tuesday to campaign for the midterm elections, home state of Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, who stated on Friday that discussions regarding Russia’s return to global energy markets should take place «once the war is over.»
«In the meantime, we need to cut off everything fueling it,» Murkowski expressed in a post on X, where she also recalled that the House of Representatives approved a sanctions package against Russia and Iran in September granting Trump new powers to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries purchasing Russian energy. EFE
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