"Putin is a butcher": Republicans in US Congress criticise Trump's deal on Russian diesel

A number of Republicans in both houses of the US Congress have criticised the agreement reached between President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin regarding the supply of Russian diesel fuel.

Source: European Pravda, citing The Hill

Quote from Senator John Kennedy: "Vladimir Putin is a butcher. He's a butcher of his own people. And he's a butcher of the good people of Ukraine. He [Putin] will never be our friend. So the president is doing everything he can to get diesel prices down. But you know what's going to bring diesel prices down? An end to the war in Iran."

Details: A journalist also asked former Congressman Mike Rogers, who was appearing alongside Kennedy as part of the election campaign for Michigan's vacant Senate seat, whether he agreed with the president's decision.

Quote from Rogers: "No, not in importing it from Russia. I've actually called for a temporary export ban just to try to give some relief while farmers are out harvesting."

Details: Meanwhile, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick introduced a bipartisan bill which he said \would prevent Trump from lifting sanctions. The bill has been named the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act.

Representative Michael McCaul (Republican from Texas), former Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated that he was "concerned the lifting of sanctions on Russian oil will only fund the Kremlin's war machine – emboldening more violence and destruction, as we have seen in recent days".

McCaul added that Congress had already passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which "gave the president significant authorities and leverage against China and Russia to bring Putin's war to an end with a negotiated settlement".

Senator Lisa Murkowski also said that Trump "should be using those authorities instead of allowing Russia to export diesel, rake in revenues and continue its catastrophic war in Ukraine".

"We can discuss Russia's return to global energy markets once the war is over, but in the meantime, we need to cut off everything fuelling it," she stated.

Background:

• On 9 October, Trump said he had spoken to Russian ruler Vladimir Putin and reached an agreement with him on supplying Russian diesel fuel to the US and global markets.
• Axios reported that Trump decided to strike a deal with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin after Zelenskyy ignored half a dozen US requests to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries.
• Zelenskyy said that Ukraine's negotiating team in the US had been used as "cover" while Trump and Putin reached agreements on fuel supplies.

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