Six Republican senators and five House Republicans have joined Democrats asking Trump to reverse the diesel deal.
Donald Trump signed an executive order late Friday, Oct. 16, waiving the Russia sanctions and tariffs in the Graham Act two days before they took effect. He signed that law, which sanctions Russia and Iran, on Sept. 18. His aides then gave conflicting reasons for the related deal that lets Russian diesel into the U.S.
The president. On Truth Social, Trump said he did not want to “drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table.”
The carrot. Energy Secretary Chris Wright called the diesel deal “a carrot to try to end a war,” not an economic lifeline for Russia. ([TS]the license itself asks for no ceasefire and no cut in attacks, per Treasury’s own text.)
The pause. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “that diesel was going to be sold one way or the other.” He called the suspension a 60-day pause to study its effect on the U.S. and world economies.
The pushback. Mike Pence said the waiver “dishonors the legacy of the late Senator Lindsey Graham.” Darline Graham (Sen-R South Carolina) succeeded her brother. She said: “I would choose to keep the pressure on Russia… because I don’t trust Putin and don’t trust Russia.” Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the order “an important and truly historic moment.”
Still open. Rubio’s 60 days has no automatic end. The order keeps the waivers in force until Trump or his officials decide “further action is appropriate.”
Catch up
- Sept. 21 — Trump pressed Volodymyr Zelensky (President, Ukraine) to stop striking Russian refineries, citing higher U.S. diesel prices.
- Sept. 23–24 — Zelensky proposed a mutual halt on energy and port strikes. He urged allies to curb trade with Russia.
- Oct. 4 — Putin added a sale of Lukoil’s foreign oil assets to talks. Buyers include business partners of envoys Witkoff and Kushner.
- Oct. 9 — Treasury lifted sanctions on Russian diesel until April 7, 2027, after Trump said Russia would send diesel to the U.S.; Putin told him talks would not resume soon.
- Oct. 10 — Russian glide bombs killed 20 in Zaporizhzhia.
- Oct. 13 — Analysts said the 300,000-ton first shipment was too small to cut prices. Twelve senators, six from each party, asked Trump to rescind the deal.
- Oct. 16 — Bloomberg reported the Graham-law penalties were blocking Trump’s push to lower diesel prices before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
28 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
- UpdateRussian glide bombs kill 20 in Zaporizhzhia a day after the U.S. suspended Russian diesel sanctions; Putin tells Trump talks won't resume soon
- UpdateFour Republican senators join Democrats in demanding Trump reverse his Russian diesel deal, saying he skipped steps the law requires
- UpdateTrump defends letting Russian diesel into the U.S. as analysts say the 300,000-ton first shipment is too small to lower prices
- Update12 senators, six from each party, ask Trump to rescind his deal lifting U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel
- Trump waives the Russian energy tariffs and sanctions required by the Graham law he signed last month
BackgroundWhat it would take Congress to undo the diesel deal
- A bill from Gregory Meeks (Rep-D New York), filed Oct. 16, would void Treasury’s Russia licenses and bar new ones; Don Bacon (Rep-R Nebraska) cosponsors.
- Senate veto override: 67 votes, so 20 Republicans if every Democrat and independent joins — 14 more than the six who signed.
- House veto override: 289 votes if all 433 members vote, so 75 Republicans — 70 more than the five who signed.