President Trump is holding firm on a deal to import Russian diesel after Senate critics demanded a reversal, saying he made the right choice for Americans.
On Friday, he announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import 300,000 tons of diesel at once, with millions more promised after that.
The plan came as diesel prices spiked in the United States. It also collided with a 2022 ban on Russian energy imports and with a Sunday demand from senators that he reverse course.
Trump said the European Union paid Russia $250 billion for energy. He did not say which years that figure covers.
The administration has moved to lift Russian oil sanctions and allow the new diesel supply into the U.S. market.
Researchers at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air track European Union spending on Russian fossil fuels since the war in Ukraine began. Those estimates roughly align with Trump's $250 billion claim.
ABC News reported that Trump made his case in a Monday morning social media post.
"I made the right choice for the American People, ALWAYS, AMERICA FIRST!"
That is the core of his argument. American drivers need fuel, and he is not going to leave that supply on the table.
Republican Sens. Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, John Curtis, and Lisa Murkowski signed a Sunday statement against the diesel deal. Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal, and Ron Wyden signed it too.
The group urged the White House to halt the imports.
"The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians. The Administration must immediately reverse course,"
Congress passed the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act in April 2022. That law banned imports of Russian energy products.
The 2022 law lets the president lift the ban under certain conditions. It also requires a written justification to Congress before he does so.
The senators said Trump's diesel decision runs directly counter to that law. They said the administration failed to consult Congress or submit the explanation the statute requires.
Just The News reported the tests written into that 2022 ban. The president may end it only after certifying that Russia has withdrawn from Ukraine, poses no immediate threat to NATO allies, and recognizes Ukrainians' right to choose their leaders.
Those are the senators' terms. They want the ban left in place while the war continues.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer stood by the president. Emmer is a vocal supporter of Ukraine and previously voted to establish sanctions on Russia.
He said Sunday the diesel deal showed Trump thinking outside the box. He also called it another step in trying to settle the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Emmer pointed to the cost of fuel.
"He's listening to the American people, Jon. The American people are hurting because of this world market when it comes to diesel and fuel in general,"
Trump signed the bipartisan Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act weeks before the diesel announcement. That law lets Washington put tariffs on countries that keep buying Russian oil.
Tillis said the diesel purchase tarnishes Lindsey Graham's work to get that sanctions bill through. Emmer treated the same purchase as a tool for peace and a break for people paying for diesel.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the diesel decision over the weekend.
"It plays into Russia’s hands -- allowing it to kill more, wage war for longer, have even less respect for America, and inflict even greater losses and damage on the world,"
Zelenskyy also said Ukraine is counting on fair U.S. support for its defense. He said he wants Washington to hold a strong conversation with Russia, not a weak one.
Sen. Thom Tillis opposed the purchase on Sunday. He said that if Trump wants to ease the strain on energy supplies, he should get policy right on Iran.
Tillis said Vladimir Putin started the war, not Zelenskyy. He said Putin owns the energy-price damage from that part of the world.
So the split is clear. Critics want the 2022 ban enforced as written. Trump wants diesel moving into a market where prices have already spiked, and he notes that Europe has spent heavily on Russian energy during the same war.
American drivers still have to fill the tank. Trump is treating that bill as the one that comes first.
