Thomas Massie (Rep-R Kentucky) backed the deal and urged lifting sanctions on other petroleum products, copper and aluminum too.
A bipartisan group of senators said Sunday, Oct. 11, that Trump should reverse the license letting Russian diesel into the U.S. Their reasons: the administration never consulted Congress or gave the explanation the law requires, and the deal hands Moscow money while it keeps attacking Ukraine. AP counted six signers; Politico counted seven, adding Ron Wyden (Sen-D Oregon).
The Republicans. Susan Collins (Sen-R Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Sen-R Alaska), Thom Tillis (Sen-R North Carolina) and John Curtis (Sen-R Utah) signed on. Collins said she co-sponsored the sanctions law Trump "recently signed but is now not following."
The leverage. Tillis said there is a legitimate case the deal breaks the law, and tied it to funding talks: "If the president wants my support the president needs to understand this is a problem, and I'm not the only Republican concerned with this."
Catch up
- Sept. 15 — Trump announced a Russia-Ukraine truce on energy strikes; Kyiv called it conditional.
- Sept. 16 — The House passed a bill letting the president put tariffs of up to 100% on the five biggest buyers of Russian oil or gas, 262-159, per Reuters.
- Sept. 18 — Trump signed it, per the White House; the law, named for Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died in July, also sanctions Russian officials and shadow-fleet tankers.
- Sept. 21–23 — Trump pressed Ukraine to stop hitting Russian refineries, citing diesel prices; Zelensky proposed a mutual halt on energy and port strikes.
- Oct. 4 — Putin added a sale of Lukoil's foreign oil assets to talks; buyers include Witkoff and Kushner business partners.
- Oct. 10 — Treasury suspended Russian diesel sanctions until April 7, 2027, after Trump said Russia would send diesel to the U.S.; Zelensky called it "a happy birthday present for Putin."
- Oct. 11 — Russian glide bombs killed 20 in Zaporizhzhia; Putin told Trump talks would not resume soon.
23 earlier issues
- CIA chief Ratcliffe makes rare Moscow visit
- CIA chief reportedly warned Moscow against a limited Russian attack on NATO
- CIA chief secretly met Russian intelligence officials in Moscow
- UpdateCIA chief told Moscow to end the Ukraine war before Russia’s military and economy worsen
- Russian drone hits ammunition depot near Kyiv, killing 38; four remain missing
- Russia's finance minister returned to the G20 in person for the first time since the Ukraine invasion
- Witkoff and Kushner meet Putin in Moscow Sept. 5, Zelensky in Kyiv Sept. 6, carrying a U.S. proposal to end the war
- UpdatePutin orders 72-hour halt to strikes on Kyiv while Witkoff and Kushner visit, after a three-hour Kremlin meeting
- UpdateWitkoff and Kushner hold first Kyiv talks of the war, agreeing on next steps but no terms; announcement promised in weeks
- UpdateWitkoff says Moscow-Kyiv trip produced 'substantive progress' on scheduling more talks, with no date set and no terms disclosed
- UpdateRussia resumed strikes on Kyiv after the truce, killing 7; Trump and Putin then talked for an hour
- UpdateTrump says Russia's president wants a Ukraine peace deal after their phone call
- House schedules vote next week on authorizing 100% tariffs on Russian oil buyers
- UpdateVladimir Putin warned that sending European troops into Ukraine means war with Russia.
- Trump announced a Russia-Ukraine energy truce Kyiv calls conditional
- UpdateThe House voted 214-211 to advance 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil
- UpdateCongress sends Trump a bill letting him impose 100% tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil
- UpdateTrump signs the bill authorizing 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil
- Trump and Zelensky agree to New York talks, expected Sept. 22
- UpdateZelensky asks Trump for a mutual halt on energy and port strikes
- Zelensky (President, Ukraine) urges countries to limit trade with Russia to cut war funding
- UpdatePutin added a sale of Lukoil's foreign oil assets to US-Russia Ukraine talks; the buyers include Witkoff and Kushner business partners
- UpdateTreasury lifts U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel until April 7, 2027, after Trump says Russia will send 4.8 million tons