A dispute over Russian-origin diesel has become part of the fight over President Donald Trump’s year-end legislative agenda, with Sen. Mitch McConnell warning that the president’s Russia policy could make those measures harder to pass.
McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, made the argument in an Oct. 26 opinion essay credited to The Wall Street Journal. He argued that accommodating Russian President Vladimir Putin would not secure peace for Ukraine and said ending what he called deference to Putin could be “table stakes” for year-end legislation.
The 12 senators—six Republicans and six Democrats, including McConnell—urged Trump on Oct. 13 to rescind General License 135. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued the authorization on Oct. 9. It covers transactions needed to sell, deliver, unload or import diesel originating in Russia. The senators argued that the license benefits the Kremlin at the expense of Ukraine and U.S. allies, calling it “a gift to our adversary.”
Trump’s Oct. 16 executive order waived specified duties, sanctions and restrictions under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The order said he signed the law on Sept. 18.
The Associated Press reported that a tanker carrying Russian diesel departed on Oct. 23 and was expected in New York on Nov. 7. The AP attributed the cargo estimate—40,000 metric tons, or about 300,000 barrels—to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, citing Interfax. It also reported that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said regular supplies would continue. AP said the policy was intended to ease fuel prices, but energy experts it quoted expected little effect on prices.
Roll Call reported Oct. 19 that some Republicans saw the Russia dispute as a potential complication for the post-election agenda, including the National Defense Authorization Act and defense spending bills.
