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Seven US senators from both parties said the Trump administration's decision to authorize Russian diesel imports conflicts with a 2022 law banning Russian energy imports and accused it of failing to consult Congress, in a statement on 11 October.
The dispute comes as the war with Iran drives up US fuel prices, which US President Donald Trump has blamed on Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries. Trump says Russian supplies will help bring prices down, while lawmakers warn that purchases could provide Moscow with revenue to continue its war against Ukraine.
The senators—Republicans Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis, and John Curtis, and Democrats Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal, and Ron Wyden—called on the administration to reverse course, saying the US should not provide Russian President Vladimir Putin with “a financial lifeline.”
The law, signed on 8 April 2022, allows the president to end the import ban only after submitting a certification to Congress. The certification must find that Russia has agreed to pull out its forces and stop the fighting on terms Ukraine's free and independent government accepts, no longer poses an immediate threat of attack to any NATO member, and recognizes Ukrainians' right to pick their own government.
The law also requires consultation with four congressional committees and a report at least 45 days before certification. The termination takes effect 90 days after certification unless a joint resolution of disapproval is enacted into law during that period. The senators allege the administration failed to meet the consultation and reporting requirements. Their statement does not establish whether a certification has been submitted.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License No. 135 on 9 October, authorizing certain transactions involving Russian-origin diesel that would otherwise be restricted under US sanctions regulations. It runs until 7 April 2027 and cites sanctions regulations, not the 2022 import-ban law.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the deal on Fox News on 11 October, saying the administration would proceed under existing legal authority. He said lawmakers who argued that either the earlier law or the current Lindsey Graham sanctions law prohibited the deal were wrong, and argued the agreement would lower prices, Reuters reported.
Trump said on Truth Social that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to US and global markets, followed by 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons after that. He said Russia would deliver another 3 million tons “within a short period of time,” depending on the condition of its diesel refineries. The promised volumes have not been independently verified.
Russia partially lifted its diesel export ban on 10 October, allowing 500,000 tons onto the global market at this stage, the Russian government said, according to state news agency TASS.
Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick plans to introduce the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act to block Russian oil purchases and use a discharge petition to force a House vote, Axios reported. The procedure can force consideration of a bill if 218 House members sign. Republican Rep. Don Bacon said he would support the bill and called Trump's decision a serious mistake, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
On CBS's Face the Nation on 11 October, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, a Republican from Wyoming, called the deal “another point of leverage” for Trump to use against Putin. Asked whether the decision violated US law, Barrasso said the president was balancing competing priorities and had to make tough decisions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on 9 October:
“Allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged.”
Trump also expects Ukraine to stop striking Russian refineries under his proposed energy ceasefire, a White House official told Axios. Zelenskyy said Kyiv would halt such strikes if Moscow did the same.
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A Ávoris está a preparar uma revisão da sua programação de longo curso para 2027, ajustando a capacidade para o México e a República Dominicana e introduzindo novos destinos. Em entrevista ao TNews, Constantino Pinto, revelou que estão em negociação duas novas operações, que deverão ficar definidas antes da Black Friday.
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“Portiamo l’esperienza del Venezuela. Lavoriamo con la convinzione che l’accesso agli alimenti sia un diritto fondamentale”. Nessun riferimento alla transizione politica del Paese sudamericano, nessun accenno alla crisi umanitaria che continuano a patire i venezuelani. Atterrata a Roma, la leader del regime chavista, Delcy Rodriguez, si è concentrata sul principale motivo del suo viaggio: la partecipazione, insieme ad un’ampia delegazione, al World Food Forum della Fao in programma dall’8 al 16 ottobre. A ricevere Rodriguez c’era Máximo Torero, economista capo della Fao e coordinatore del forum; il ministro degli Affari esteri venezuelano, Félix Plasencia e l’ambasciatrice del Venezuela in Italia, Maria Elena Uzzo. Non ci sono stati rappresentanti del governo italiano.
Nonostante gli scandali di corruzione del regime di cui da anni fa parte, Rodriguez farà parte dell’evento ed è stata designata per pronunciare un discorso. Negli Stati Uniti continuano i processi e le indagini su come la rivoluzione bolivariana ha usato il programma di sussidi di alimenti e medicine per arricchimenti e malversazioni di fondi, con il prestanome di Nicolas Maduro, Alex Saab, a capo di questo sistema.
Le sanzioni internazionali contro funzionari del regime continuano a essere in vigore, ma Rodriguez può entrare in territorio italiano per l’immunità diplomatica che le permette di partecipare a questi eventi (come alle Nazioni Unite a New York). Il governo di Pedro Sánchez l’ha anche invitata al Summit Iberoamericano a Madrid il 4 e il 5 novembre.
Non è da escludere qualche incontro con la direzione dell’Eni, con cui il Venezuela ha firmato di recenti nuovi accordi.
Intanto, un gruppo di venezuelani ha organizzato una protesta contro la presenza della leader del regime a Roma.
Llegamos a Roma, Italia, para participar en el Foro Mundial de la Alimentación de la FAO.
https://t.co/h8MyTm1JSe
— Delcy Rodríguez (@delcyrodriguezv) October 11, 2026
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