'Total betrayal of Ukraine': Democratic senators criticize Trump’s diesel deal
Photo: US Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump’s administration has been accused by Democratic senators of a complete betrayal of Ukraine, European allies, and US national security after allowing Russian diesel to be purchased worldwide for six months, according to a joint statement by three senators published on the website of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The statement was signed by Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader; and Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee.
The senators were referring to General License 135, issued by the US Treasury following Trump's agreement with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
"President Trump’s announcement that the United States will allow global purchases of Russian diesel for six months, is a total betrayal of Ukraine, our European allies and American national security," the statement said.
The senators noted that fuel prices in the US and Europe had surged because of the war with Iran, which Trump himself had started. Now, they argued, the president was trying to address the situation through "desperate deals" with a dictator, sacrificing Ukraine and its allies for his own political prospects.
The senators also accused Trump of disregarding the law and the bipartisan will of Congress. Just a few weeks earlier, lawmakers had passed legislation intended to cut off revenue to Russia’s war machine and restrict purchases of Russian oil and gas.
"Enough is enough. The President must end his war with Iran instead of funding Russia’s war machine. Putin only responds to strength, which means cracking down on Russia and the enablers of its war against Ukraine," they stressed.
The legislation in question is the Lindsey Graham Act, which imposes sanctions on Russia and Iran and is named after the senator who died in July. Congress passed it with a bipartisan majority, and Trump signed it into law on September 18.
The deal itself provides for Russia to supply up to 1.8 million tonnes of diesel to global markets. Kyiv viewed it as a stab in the back: in an interview with Axios, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the deal "a birthday gift to Putin" and "Alaska number two." Trump, meanwhile, thanked Putin and assured the public that the US remained a strong partner.
