President Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Russian fuel after Republicans pressed him to lower diesel prices before the midterm elections. On Friday, Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed during a phone call that Putin would release millions of tons of diesel fuel into the global market. Politico called the move a lifting of sanctions on Russian diesel and reported that Trump suggested the United States might buy Russian diesel.
The Price and the Deal
The agreement came weeks before the midterm elections, as fuel prices surged, Politico reported. The report gives no diesel price figures and names no companies or other buyers expected to benefit from the fuel entering the market. It also offers no figures on workers, wages, or employment tied to the deal.
The stated arrangement connects Trump’s sanctions decision with a push to add diesel supplies to the global market. Trump announced the agreement after speaking with Putin by phone. The report doesn’t say how much diesel the United States might buy or whether it has made any purchase.
Republican pressure to bring down diesel prices formed the political backdrop to the agreement. The account doesn’t identify the Republicans who pressed Trump or describe any proposed price policy. No unions, workers, or labor organizations appear in the report.
Pence’s Objection
Former Vice President Mike Pence criticized Trump’s sanctions decision and urged him to rescind it. Pence linked his objection to Russian attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine and to the legacy of late Sen. Lindsey Graham.
“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. He added: “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.”
Pence said he “saw firsthand in Ukraine last month” that “Putin is losing this war.” He wrote: “America should not be throwing a lifeline to Putin's war machine.” He urged the United States to “stand strong against Russian aggression as we did during the first Trump administration.”
Pence also said, “Putin doesn't want peace. Putin wants Ukraine.” He added 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.” These statements reflect Pence’s account of the military stakes; the report gives no response from Trump or Putin.
Sanctions and State Policy
Pence urged Trump to rescind the deal, impose harsh sanctions on any nation purchasing Russian energy, and work with allies to provide Ukraine with military support. He framed the proposed policy as a matter of national security and the security of allies in Europe, including Ukraine.
The report sets out two competing policy positions: Trump’s lifting of sanctions and agreement on diesel supplies, and Pence’s call for renewed sanctions and military support for Ukraine. It offers no estimate of the deal’s financial value, no account of revenue received by Russian producers, and no information about its effect on diesel prices. The report says fuel-cost pressure preceded the decision, but provides no figures showing whether the agreement lowered those costs before the midterm elections.