Seven US senators say Trump's Russian diesel decision breaks the law

A bipartisan group of seven US senators has said President Donald Trump's decision to allow imports of Russian diesel fuel contradicts US law and hands Moscow a "financial lifeline", Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported on 12 October.

The senators issued a joint statement saying the United States "must not give Putin a financial lifeline". The outlet's report did not name the senators, and RealUA has not seen the original statement.

What the senators say

"In 2022, Congress clearly banned imports of Russian energy to prevent funding Putin's brutal war against Ukraine with American dollars," the statement said, as quoted by Ukrainska Pravda. The quote is a back-translation from Ukrainian and may differ slightly from the English original.

"Congress clearly stated: the US must not import oil from Russia until it ends its aggression against Ukraine and stops threatening our NATO allies. President Trump's decision directly contradicts this law."

The senators also said the administration "did not consult Congress and provided no explanation justifying its decision, as the law requires."

The report does not name the 2022 legislation. It also does not say what procedure the senators believe was breached. The statement is the lawmakers' own assessment. It is not a court ruling or other legal finding, and the White House response was not included in the report.

Background

The statement follows Trump's announcement of a diesel supply arrangement with Russian President Vladimir Putin. As RealUA reported on 11 October, the New York Times said efforts to restart Ukraine peace talks had stalled after the announcement. Latvia, Estonia's prime minister and former US envoy Keith Kellogg criticised the arrangement.

The decision came as Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine. A White House representative later told Axios that it covers only attacks on each other's oil refineries. Zelensky said Russia struck a thermal power plant in Kharkiv hours after the truce was announced.

What happens next

The source does not say whether the senators plan legislation, hearings or other action. It also does not say whether the administration has begun diesel imports or what form the arrangement takes. RealUA will update this report if the senators' names, the legal basis they cite or an administration response become available.