The U.S. should not give Russia a financial lifeline while killing civilians in Ukraine: the criticism against Trump for his plan to import Russian diesel

"The U.S. should not give Russia a financial lifeline while killing civilians in Ukraine": the criticisms against Trump for his plan to import Russian diesel - Author, Madeline Halpert - Author Title, BBC News, New York - Publication Date - Reading Time: 5 min The President of the United States, Donald Trump, is facing a growing wave of criticism for his plans to import diesel from Russia, while the war against Iran continues to affect global energy prices. On Friday, Trump announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to immediately release 300,000 tons of diesel "to the US and global markets," followed by other shipments. This occurs despite the fact that just a few weeks earlier, the U.S. president signed a law authorizing new sanctions and tariffs against countries importing Russian oil and gas. The measure has been criticized by some Republican and Democrat legislators, who consider that the agreement violates U.S. laws. Trump added that Russia would subsequently supply 500,000 tons in November and another million later. This would be followed by another three million tons, which would be delivered "in the short term" depending on the state of their refineries, which have been attacked by Ukraine during the current war between the two countries. "My top priority is to lower prices for Americans, especially for our large farmers, ranchers, and truckers," Trump wrote in a post on his social media Truth Social. The Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Alexander Novak, confirmed these figures to TASS, the state news agency of the country, and stated that export volumes could reach three million tons per month in the future. The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has described the agreement as a gift to Putin equivalent to "an investment in a war that must end." It is understood that the U.S. Treasury will suspend sanctions on Russian diesel exports until April 7th as part of the agreement, but other assets, such as those in U.S. banks, remain frozen. A group of seven senators—four Republicans and three Democrats—declared on Sunday that the agreement violated U.S. laws and urged Trump to "back down." "The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians," the legislators said. They added that Congress had "explicitly prohibited the import of Russian energy in 2022 to prevent U.S. dollars from financing Putin's brutal war against Ukraine." The statement was signed by Republicans Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis, and John Curtis, as well as Democrats Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal, and Ron Wyden. Key electoral issue Not everyone opposes the agreement. Republican Thomas Massie, who has had several confrontations with Trump, said that the United States should lift sanctions on all petroleum derivatives. Trump's Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, told Fox News that the agreement would work through the existing legal channels available to the United States to help lower prices and that anyone in Congress who said otherwise was wrong. Global fuel prices have soared since the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran began at the end of February, and the fighting has severely disrupted the supply of crude oil, a key product for gasoline and diesel. The price increase has become a crucial issue for Americans ahead of the midterm elections next month, which will determine whether the Trump Republican Party maintains control of Congress. Polls show that most Americans disapprove of their government's management of the economy and the war in Iran, and he has been seeking ways to alleviate his party's political discontent. U.S. agricultural states have felt the consequences of the war with particular intensity, as they depend heavily on diesel for the operation of machinery and for transporting their products to the market. According to the AAA (American Automobile Association), the average price of diesel in the United States is currently $6.28 per gallon, a figure lower than the historic high of $6.53 recorded at the end of September. Analysts have questioned whether Russia is capable of supplying that amount of diesel and to what extent doing so will alleviate prices for American consumers. The United States consumes approximately 3.6 million barrels of diesel per day, so even if Russia delivers the promised 300,000 tons this month, this represents approximately half of the U.S. daily consumption (One metric ton of diesel fluctuates between 7.40 and 7.45 barrels). Trump faces opposition to his deal on diesel with Russia beyond his country. Several international leaders have criticized him, including the Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, and the British Secretary of Defense, Wes Streeting, who stated that the United States and other allies of Ukraine should focus on increasing pressure on Russia to end the war. This article was originally written in English and we used an artificial intelligence tool to translate it. A BBC journalist reviewed the text before publication. More information on how we use AI. - Download the new BBC World Service app. Choose BBC News Mundo and receive news, documentaries, and analysis alerts, all in one place. Important: the new application is not available in the UK or the United States. - You can also follow us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and our WhatsApp channel. - And don't forget to subscribe here to our newsletter to receive a special selection of our best content every Friday.