- United States
- Ohio
- Letter
Block Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel. This deal betrays our troops in the Middle East, our European allies, Ukraine, and the 1994 Budapest Memorandum in which the United States pledged to defend Ukraine's sovereignty. Russia is actively supplying Iran with intelligence used to target American service members and our bases, and buying Russian diesel funds that same war machine.
Trump signed the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act just three weeks ago, giving him authority to punish countries that help Russia evade sanctions. Now he's using that same law's waiver provisions to hand Putin a six-month sanctions holiday and 4.8 million tons of diesel exports. Zelenskyy called it exactly what it is: "a happy birthday present for Putin." Easing sanctions without a clear, lasting de-escalation agreement allows Russia to kill more, fight longer, and grow bolder in its contempt for America and our allies.
The long-term damage here goes beyond Ukraine. This signals to every adversary that the United States will not hold the line, weakens our credibility with allies who depend on our commitments, and hands Russia the resources to project power for years to come. Demand the administration reverse this decision, enforce the Lindsey Graham Act as written, and restore full sanctions on Russian energy exports immediately.
Be mindful that if Trump were a Russian asset, he'd be doing everything the same.