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Trump Faces Bipartisan Backlash Over Controversial Russian Diesel Deal
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Firstpost•12-10-2026, 15:18
Trump Faces Bipartisan Backlash Over Controversial Russian Diesel Deal
- •President Donald Trump has struck a deal with Vladimir Putin to procure at least 1.8 million tons of Russian diesel, raising questions of legality.
- •A 2022 law signed by then-president Joe Biden explicitly bans all imports of Russian energy products into the United States.
- •North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis and a bipartisan group of lawmakers have flagged the deal as a direct violation of federal legislation.
- •The Department of the Treasury issued a waiver on Russian diesel trade until April 2027, but legal experts note that executive actions cannot override a statute enacted by Congress.
Key Questions Answered
President Donald Trump announced a deal with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to procure at least 1.8 million tons of diesel, with Russia immediately supplying over 300,000 tons to the American and global marketplace followed by additional shipments.
The deal violates the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act signed in April 2022, which explicitly bans all imports of Russian crude oil and petroleum products unless the president submits a specific certification to Congress.
No. While the Treasury Department issued a waiver under OFAC regulations lasting until April 2027, neither an executive action nor a Treasury waiver can override an existing federal statute enacted by Congress.
