Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
US President Donald Trump has defended a diesel deal with Russia, saying the fuel would be released into the global market to help stabilise prices and was not meant for the United States.
The agreement has drawn criticism from Republican and Democratic senators, who called it a gift to Russia and a betrayal of US allies. The deal was announced ahead of the November congressional midterm elections as diesel prices rose because of supply disruptions caused by the Iran war.
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On October 9, Trump announced that Russia would supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel, followed by another 500,000 tonnes in November and one million tonnes “immediately thereafter”.
To facilitate the shipments, the US Treasury Department issued a temporary licence easing sanctions on Russian diesel supplies to global markets until April 7, 2027.
“That’s a diesel deal. Not for us. That’s being released into the world. That’s not being released to us,” Trump told reporters in Washington on Tuesday. His remarks came amid growing opposition to the surprise deal announced after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Republicans and Democrats criticised the agreement, which Trump announced three weeks after the US Congress authorised him to impose sweeping sanctions on Russia and tariffs on its key trading partners, including China and India.
“That’s a diesel deal that’s going to be released into the world for the world market, because the world market suffered with high prices. And when you knock out diesel refineries, that’s not a great thing. But they are not releasing it to us. They are releasing it to the entire world,” Trump said.
On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of US senators wrote to Trump, describing the Russia deal as a “gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies”.
“The deal you struck with President Vladimir Putin on October 9 will not achieve just ends, nor will it benefit Americans,” the senators said.
The letter was signed by Democrats Richard Blumenthal, Chris Coons, Dick Durbin, Jack Reed, Jeanne Shaheen and Sheldon Whitehouse, and Republicans Alan Armstrong, Susan Collins, John Cornyn, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis.
“This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies; it should be rescinded,” the letter said.
The senators said they recognised the need to lower energy costs for Americans but argued that allowing Russian diesel into global markets would offer limited or no relief to them.
The deal “only provides Putin with more fuel to finance his war machine and enables Russia to continue its brutal attacks on Ukrainian civilians,” they said.
“It will have a negligible impact on fuel prices, but the revenues the Kremlin will receive from this agreement will undoubtedly finance its desired war of attrition and advance its security cooperation with China, Iran, and North Korea,” the senators said.
Last month, Congress passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which Trump swiftly signed into law.
“Both chambers passed the legislation with resounding, bipartisan votes, clearly demonstrating our intent and granting you the authorities to broker a just and fair peace,” the senators said.
They said the law required the president to apply economic pressure on Russia and the main countries enabling its war, particularly China. They said this would strengthen the US negotiating position and help bring a swift end to the conflict.
Trump maintained that the Russian diesel supplies were intended to ease pressure on the global market, while the senators urged him to rescind the deal, arguing that it would provide little relief to Americans and increase revenue for Russia.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
