--- title: "Trump Buys Diesel From Putin Before the Midterms, and Senators Point to the 2022 Law" description: "An “energy ceasefire” Kyiv learned of from a post, a Russian fuel deal analysts doubt, and Republicans asking whether it breaks the law" author: "Jan Sokol" published: 2026-10-12T11:30:54Z modified: 2026-10-13T00:55:22Z url: https://rews.cc/a/trump-buys-diesel-from-putin-before-the-midterms-and-senator-a22b71 language: en tags: ["trump", "russia", "tariffs", "sanctions", "diesel", "us", "world"] publisher: "Rews (https://rews.cc)" --- # Trump Buys Diesel From Putin Before the Midterms, and Senators Point to the 2022 Law *An “energy ceasefire” Kyiv learned of from a post, a Russian fuel deal analysts doubt, and Republicans asking whether it breaks the law* By Jan Sokol · October 12, 2026 · https://rews.cc/a/trump-buys-diesel-from-putin-before-the-midterms-and-senator-a22b71 ## In brief - Trump said Putin agreed to supply over 300,000 tons of diesel at once and 500,000 tons in November, then declared an energy ceasefire - Kyiv said it learned of the truce from Trump’s post; Ukrainian officials reported further Russian strikes on energy sites - Analysts doubt Russia has the diesel and say the volumes would barely move prices; Brent stayed above $103 a barrel - Bipartisan senators said the deal breaks the 2022 Russian energy import ban; Bessent and Barrasso defended it - In Canada, Ottawa is threatening legal action as Stelco’s owner cuts hundreds of jobs and backs US steel tariffs On Friday the president of the United States wrote on social media that the president of Russia had agreed, in a phone call, to “immediately supply” more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the world’s markets, with another 500,000 tons promised for November. On Sunday he posted again. There was now, he announced, an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine, in force at once. So Washington’s policy on Russian energy changed again, in two posts over three days. As [Al Jazeera’s Usaid Siddiqui explained](https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/12/energy-ceasefire-whats-behind-trumps-love-hate-ties-to-russian-oil), the truce came days after the administration eased sanctions on Russian fuel. Washington’s war with Iran and Ukraine’s strikes on Russian energy plants had squeezed world oil supplies, and Trump had gone as far as asking Kyiv to stop hitting Russian oil facilities. Russia remains one of the world’s big diesel exporters. ## News for Kyiv Ukraine heard about the ceasefire the way everyone else did. According to [CNBC’s Leonie Kidd](https://cnbc.com/2026/10/12/trump-russia-ukraine-saudi-oil.html), Kyiv said Trump’s Truth Social post was the first it knew of the arrangement, and Moscow [hit a power plant within hours](https://rews.cc/a/trump-declares-a-russia-ukraine-energy-ceasefire-zelenskyy-s-51d3ca). Zelensky told Axios the truce “was news for me. But if Russians agree to an energy ceasefire, Ukraine will agree.” Ukrainian officials told [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/world/ukraine/trump-russia-ukraine-agree-energy-ceasefire-zelenskyy-diesel-rcna602766) that the strikes went on into Monday morning and hit an energy facility outside Kharkiv. In Moscow, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov would say only that “contacts are ongoing.” The day before the truce post, [NPR reported](https://www.npr.org/2026/10/12/nx-s1-5998042/trump-touts-energy-ceasefire-after-urging-ukrainians-to-ditch-zelenskyy), Trump had blamed Ukraine’s strikes on Russian refineries for American diesel prices, said Zelensky had “better damn well stop” and suggested Ukrainians [find themselves another president](https://rews.cc/a/trump-calls-for-new-ukrainian-president-days-after-a-1-8m-to-2a34b7). The country under attack was being asked to stop hitting back so that fuel would be cheaper for the country that had sanctioned its attacker. ![A dark blue fuel nozzle points into a blue-and-yellow shield in front of cream-colored oil storage tanks against a teal background.](https://rews.cc/img/3d151919d2188a487a8b38c709eba99065e725f3.webp) ## The arithmetic of the pump The reason is no mystery. Diesel prices have climbed steeply since the Iran war began in February, and in late September AAA recorded a record national average of $6.5276 a gallon. The midterms are a few weeks away, and [CNN’s Alison Main](https://cnn.com/2026/10/11/politics/us-russia-diesel-deal-bipartisan-criticism) reported that the White House has been scrambling for anything that might lower the price. What it found may not exist. Former US officials told CNN they were unsure Putin even has the volumes Trump named, and energy analysts say the amount would barely move world diesel prices. Neil Atkinson, who used to run the oil division at the International Energy Agency, wrote to CNBC: “Where the volumes to supply the Trump deal come from is a mystery, unless it comes from domestic supply, which will cripple the Russian economy.” Markets paid little attention to the doubts. On Monday morning Brent crude was still above $103 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate was near $90, both slightly lower in early trading. [CNBC later reported](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/12/russia-ukraine-energy-ceasefire-diesel-prices.html) that analysts expect little relief at the pump, as rews had calculated earlier. Meanwhile a second fire was spreading. After a deadly attack on King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, Trump said he was considering joining Saudi Arabia’s retaliation against the Houthis in Yemen, a group backed by Tehran. ## The law of 2022 In 2022 Congress banned imports of Russian energy, in the words of Sunday’s statement from a bipartisan group of senators, to “prevent American dollars from financing Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine.” Reports disagree on how many senators signed. CNN counted seven, four of them Republicans. The Associated Press, [via PBS](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/bipartisan-group-of-senators-calls-on-trump-to-reverse-course-on-russian-diesel-plan), counted six: the Republicans Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis and John Curtis, plus the Democrats Jeanne Shaheen and Richard Blumenthal. [TIME](https://time.com/article/2026/10/12/republicans-democrats-call-for-trump-to-reverse-course-on-russia-diesel-deal/) also listed Ron Wyden. ![A dark blue pipeline passes behind a blank book and drops gold coins into an oil barrel marked with the Russian flag against a teal background.](https://rews.cc/img/49928b73504054e1622bb01d76dd158bdd89b220.webp) > President Trump’s decision to allow Russian diesel imports to the U.S. runs directly counter to that law. The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians. The Administration must immediately reverse course. The senators said the administration had neither consulted Congress nor given the justification the law requires. On NBC’s *Meet the Press*, Tillis, who is retiring after this term, told [Al Jazeera’s reporters](https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/11/republican-senator-says-trump-diesel-agreement-with-russia-may-be-illegal) and every other viewer that the sanctions relief might break the law passed by Congress. He predicted “deadly consequences” from giving Putin “any sense that we’re going to put our foot on the brakes” instead of the accelerator, and said the deal was “tarnishing Lindsey Graham’s efforts”, a charge former vice president Mike Pence had made the day before. Last month Congress passed a bill led by the late senator Graham that puts heavy sanctions on countries buying Russian oil and gas. The administration was not moved. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told *Fox News Sunday* that Trump took office “with a mandate to work for the American people, and this is good for the American people,” and called European critics “hypocritical” because they “cannot wean themselves off Russian energy.” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso told CBS that Graham’s law was meant to give the president another “point of leverage” against Putin. “The high diesel prices that are impacting everyone. The president is balancing and has to make tough decisions,” he said. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican defending a Pennsylvania seat that Kamala Harris carried in 2024, said he would introduce the “Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act” to block “any and all purchases of Russian oil.” He plans to force a vote with a discharge petition, which needs at least 218 signatures. ![A red padlock with a black keyhole and an open black shackle dripping a black drop, crossed by a cream angular shape against yellow.](https://rews.cc/img/871652d75fe177e2bd6998b18d3c48d766bb718f.webp) A reflection, not a finding: sanctions are passed in a mood of outrage and dropped when money is short, and the ruler they were aimed at only has to wait for the price of fuel to rise. ## Hamilton The same election is felt at a steel mill in Ontario. As [CBC’s Kevin Maimann reported](https://cbc.ca/news/canada/cleveland-cliffs-ceo-stelco-layoffs-hamilton-9.7377708), Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says Cleveland-Cliffs promised, when it bought Stelco in 2024, to keep at least as many unionized employees through 2029. She has given the company an ultimatum: produce a plan to save up to 500 jobs or face legal action. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa would “use all powers that we have.” Stelco called the breach allegation “false” and blamed Trump’s 50 per cent tariffs. Then its owner, Lourenco Goncalves, backed those tariffs. “I’m in favour of Section 232. There’s no doubt about it,” he said, while arguing that nothing in the contract obliges him to keep employment at a set level “every single day of the five years.” Would he sell Stelco? “For a good offer, yes.” Ron Wells, president of United Steelworkers Local 1005, expects 300 to 350 layoffs in Hamilton over three weeks, with more at Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke. He says Goncalves wants Trump’s tariffs to look like they are working before the midterms. Jordan Williams, who got his layoff notice last week, asked for an answer in writing: “What steps will you take to protect jobs, support our families and provide a path back to work?” ## Sources - ['Energy ceasefire': What's behind Trump's love-hate ties to Russian oil?](https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/12/energy-ceasefire-whats-behind-trumps-love-hate-ties-to-russian-oil) — aljazeera.com - [Trump’s US-Russia diesel deal draws bipartisan criticism](https://cnn.com/2026/10/11/politics/us-russia-diesel-deal-bipartisan-criticism) — cnn.com - [CNBC Daily Open: Trump's Russian roulette](https://cnbc.com/2026/10/12/trump-russia-ukraine-saudi-oil.html) — cnbc.com - [Cleveland-Cliffs CEO says he's prepared to fight Canada in court over Stelco layoffs](https://cbc.ca/news/canada/cleveland-cliffs-ceo-stelco-layoffs-hamilton-9.7377708) — cbc.ca - [Republican senator says Trump diesel agreement with Russia may be illegal](https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/11/republican-senator-says-trump-diesel-agreement-with-russia-may-be-illegal) — aljazeera.com