Six Republican senators, including former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME), have joined six Democrats in accusing President Donald Trump of helping Russian President Vladimir Putin finance his war against Ukraine.
“This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies; it should be rescinded,” the senators wrote in a letter to Trump Tuesday.
The letter opposes Trump’s agreement with Putin to allow Russian diesel back onto global markets as part of the president’s effort to counteract soaring fuel prices.
Trump says the deal will help bring down fuel prices, which have risen sharply during the war with Iran. The senators’ objection is twofold: they say American consumers will see little relief as a result of the deal, while Moscow will use revenue from the sales to fund the fighting in Ukraine.
Trump announced that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel, or roughly 2.25 million barrels. For comparison, the U.S. transportation sector alone consumes approximately 2.94 million barrels of diesel per day, according to federal energy data cited by Reuters.
The senators wrote that Russian diesel would have a “negligible impact on fuel prices,” while helping Putin finance continued attacks on Ukrainian civilians and expand military cooperation with China, Iran and North Korea.
Republicans McConnell, Collins, Thom Tillis (NC), Lisa Murkowski (AK), John Cornyn (TX) and Alan Armstrong (OK) signed the letter alongside Democrats Richard Blumenthal (CT), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Dick Durbin (IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), Jack Reed (RI) and Chris Coons (DE).
The Republican opposition had already surfaced over the weekend. Collins, Murkowski and Tillis joined fellow Republican John Curtis (UT) and three Democrats in a Sunday statement arguing that Trump’s decision conflicts with a 2022 law banning Russian energy imports.
The senators also said the administration had neither consulted Congress nor provided the explanation required by law.
Tillis, appearing Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, went further, saying there was a legitimate argument that Trump would be violating the law if the administration proceeded with the arrangement. He also rejected the suggestion that Ukraine shared responsibility for the continuing war.
“We were very clear that Russia is the aggressor,” Tillis said. “Russia is the one who can end this war by backing out of territory that they occupied.”
We should be holding Putin accountable for his aggression, not helping fund his war against Ukraine. That’s why I joined my colleagues in calling on the administration to reverse course on Russian diesel imports and uphold the sanctions Congress put in place.
https://t.co/IaBEhuiPpD
— Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) October 13, 2026
Not all Republicans have opposed Trump’s decision. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation, defended the president’s effort to lower energy costs, describing the agreement as another means of pressuring Putin toward a settlement.
“This is just another point of leverage for the president to use against Putin in an effort to get a long-term solution in that part of the world,” Barrasso said.
The disagreement comes as Trump faces an October 18 deadline under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, signed last month, to impose additional sanctions on Russia or waive them on national-interest grounds. Tuesday’s letter urges Trump to enforce the law, including provisions targeting countries that help sustain Russia’s war effort.
The senators argue that increasing pressure on Moscow, rather than opening another source of revenue, would strengthen Trump’s negotiating position.
Asked Tuesday whether Russia could use the proceeds from the diesel agreement to buy more bombs, Trump replied, “No, nobody told me anything.” He maintained that the arrangement would benefit the world, not just the United States. Reuters reported that Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Moscow could export even more diesel than Trump initially announced.
A bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday urged President Trump to withdraw from his diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin and rescind a move to waive sanctions on Russia’s energy sector: “This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies.” https://t.co/FbKde52e6Z
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) October 13, 2026
In their letter, the twelve senators appealed to the country’s history of standing against authoritarian governments, writing: “For decades, America has stood as the bastion of freedom against tyranny, and American presidents have embodied our nation’s resistance to tyrants.”
They followed that appeal with a four-word declaration: “Putin is a tyrant.”
