US President Donald Trump on Monday defended a diesel supply deal with Russia, as lawmakers from both parties said it appears to violate American law.
Trump said on Friday that Russia had agreed to supply diesel to global markets, and his administration temporarily lifted US sanctions on Russian fuel. He said he is acting to bring down fuel prices before the 3 November midterm elections.
On Sunday, a group of Republican and Democratic senators urged him to “reverse course”, saying the deal may breach a 2022 law that bars Russian energy imports until Moscow ends its aggression against Ukraine. Republican Senator Jerry Moran said: “We should be tightening sanctions further, not undercutting them.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Fox News on Monday that diesel prices depend on the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, not on Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries.
Fuel prices abroad matter to Sri Lankan readers because the country imports its petroleum products.
