Six Senators Urge Trump to Abandon Russian Diesel Plan

A bipartisan group of six senators urged President Donald Trump’s administration on Sunday to abandon its announced plan to purchase diesel from Russia, saying the imports could violate federal law and provide Moscow with revenue as it wages war against Ukraine. The senators, four Republicans and two Democrats, said in a joint statement that the United States should not provide Russian President Vladimir Putin with a financial lifeline while Russian forces continue to kill Ukrainian civilians. They called on the administration to reverse course. The reports do not establish whether the purchases will proceed or whether any diesel has been delivered. Trump announced the plan on social media Friday after a phone call with Putin. Trump said Russia would supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel immediately to the American and global markets, followed by 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons immediately thereafter. He also described a further 3 million tons within a short period. Those amounts and the schedule were reported as Trump’s statements, not as completed deliveries.