President Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Russian fuel after Republicans pressed him to lower diesel prices before the midterm elections. His move put presidential authority over sanctions and a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the center of a fight over fuel and war.
Former Vice President Mike Pence called the decision a “betrayal” and urged Trump to reverse it. “President Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Russian fuel amidst Putin's ongoing and brutal attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine makes no sense and is a betrayal of the legacy and leadership of the late Senator Lindsey Graham,” Pence wrote in an X post.
The decision followed a phone call between Trump and Putin. On Friday, Trump announced that they had agreed Putin would release millions of tons of diesel fuel into the global market. Politico described the move as lifting sanctions on Russian diesel, weeks before the midterm elections and amid surging fuel prices. Politico also reported that Trump suggested the United States may buy Russian diesel.
Fuel prices and executive power
Trump's agreement with Putin puts a material decision about Russian energy in the president's hands. Republicans urged lower diesel prices before the elections, according to the account, but it doesn't describe diesel users, workers, or communities taking part in the decision. Price pressure is present. So is a top-down deal.
Pence said the agreement would help Russia's war effort. “Instead of implementing the tough sanctions Lindsey Graham fought to his last breath to enact, President Trump has announced the United States is lifting sanctions on Russian energy, fueling the Putin's war machine,” he wrote. That's Pence's characterization; the account describes an agreement to release fuel and the lifting of sanctions, not how the fuel will be used.
Pence's case against the deal
Pence said he “saw firsthand in Ukraine last month” that “Putin is losing this war.” He argued that the United States shouldn't assist Russia through the sanctions decision. “America should not be throwing a lifeline to Putin's war machine,” Pence wrote, adding: “Now is the time to stand strong against Russian aggression as we did during the first Trump administration.”
He also warned that “Putin doesn't want peace. Putin wants Ukraine.” Pence said he had “no doubt that if Putin overruns Ukraine, it will only be a matter of time until Russia's military crosses a border that our troops will have to deal with him.” Those are Pence's claims and warnings as he pressed Trump to rescind the deal.
Election pressure, no public remedy reported
Pence called on Trump to “rescind this deal immediately” and return to the policies of the administration's “four years in the White House.” He urged the United States to “impose harsh sanctions on any nation purchasing Russian energy” and work with allies to provide Ukraine with military support. His proposed response relies on presidential action, sanctions, allies, and military support—the same state institutions at the center of the dispute.
The midterm elections appear in the account as a deadline shaping Republican pressure over diesel prices, not as a way for fuel users to have a say in the deal. The article reports no community-organized response, direct action, or mutual-aid effort. It records a phone call between presidents, a decision by Trump, and political arguments from Pence. People facing surging fuel prices remain outside the negotiations described.