Trump's lifting of sanctions on Russian oil sparks controversy, Republican senators criticize it as illegal and dangerous

Republican U.S. Senator Thom Tillis said on the 11th that the diesel supply agreement reached by President Trump and Russia may be illegal and will endanger the security of the American people. These remarks also caused the agreement announced by Trump on the 9th to face growing cross-party criticism.

Reuters reported that Trump recently said that Russia has agreed to supply diesel to the global market and that his government will temporarily lift sanctions on Russian fuel. The sanctions were intended to cut off funding for Moscow's war in Ukraine.

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"I do think there is a good case to be made that the president has not followed the law," said Tillis, a heavyweight senator from North Carolina who will retire when his term expires in January.

Prices for diesel, used in agriculture, home heating and trucking, are approaching record highs, threatening to hurt Trump's fellow Republicans in next month's midterm elections, which will determine whether the party can maintain its slim majority in Congress. Analysts point out that Trump’s deal with Moscow is unlikely to result in sustained fuel price cuts.

However, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent argued in an interview with Fox News on the 11th that the Trump administration will implement the agreement in accordance with existing legal authorities and emphasized that the agreement is beneficial to the American people and will help lower prices.

"We're going to use all our legal authority to do this," Bessant said. "So anyone in Congress who says that the old bill or the current Lindsey Graham bill prohibits us from doing this is wrong."

Last month, Trump just signed a broad Russia sanctions bill called the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026" in memory of South Carolina Republican Senator Graham, who passed away in July this year. Graham had long taken a hard line against Moscow and was a staunch supporter of the bill during his lifetime.

Tillis is not the first Republican to criticize the deal. Nebraska Congressman Don Bacon, who is about to retire, posted on the social platform

Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence also criticized Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Russian oil as a "betrayal" of Graham's legacy and urged the president to "withdraw" the decision.

Tillis further pointed out: "The president's actions and remarks in the past 24 hours are completely contrary to the legislative intent of the bill." He even bluntly said: "I guarantee you that whenever he has the opportunity, Putin will definitely embarrass President Trump or secretly undermine him."

As Trump's poll numbers plummet, congressional Republicans have gradually distanced themselves from him on issues ranging from the conflict with Iran to the trade war with Canada.

Despite this, Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, still defended the diesel deal on CBS's "Face the Nation" on the 11th, emphasizing that Trump's focus is on reducing costs for consumers, ranchers, farmers and truckers. "The president is weighing and must make difficult decisions."