The U.S. Congress reminded Trump of the Graham Act in connection with the easing of sanctions against Russia

U.S. senators and members of the House of Representatives from both parties have spoken out against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to ease sanctions against Russia. Lawmakers reminded the president of the bill introduced by Lindsey Graham, which calls for tightening restrictions on Russian energy products and imposing tariffs on countries that purchase them.

Democratic Senator Mark Kelly commented on the U.S. administration’s agreements with Russia regarding the supply of Russian diesel fuel. He referred to the “Lindsey Graham Act on Sanctions Against Russia and Iran,” which, among other things, calls for tightening restrictions against Russia and imposing “punitive tariffs” on countries that purchase Russian energy resources.

“So what happened to the ‘Lindsey Graham Act on Sanctions Against Russia and Iran’? The main goal was to cut off Putin’s funding for the war by punishing countries that circumvented sanctions and purchased Russian oil. Does this mean that we are now imposing sanctions on ourselves? Whose side is Trump on now?” Kelly wrote.

Democratic Congresswoman Marie Glusenkamp Perez emphasized that the passage of Lindsey Graham’s bill demonstrated Congress’s clear stance on the purchase of Russian oil.

“Congress and the American people have made it clear that we do not support the purchase of Russian oil to finance Putin’s war in Ukraine. Just a few weeks ago, an overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives passed a law imposing tough new sanctions on the sale of Russian oil. And even before I joined Congress, the ‘Russian Oil Import Ban Act’ was passed nearly unanimously, which explicitly prohibits the import of Russian oil,” the lawmaker noted.

According to Glusenkamp Perez, Donald Trump’s decision contradicts the will of Congress. She also reported that she is working with lawmakers from both parties on a bill designed to block any purchases of Russian oil.

Republican U.S. Representative Michael McCaul pointed out that lawmakers had granted Trump significant authority and leverage over China and Russia to bring an end to Putin’s war by negotiating a peace agreement.

At the same time, he expressed concern over the easing of sanctions on Russian oil.

“Unfortunately, while I understand the desire to lower diesel prices, I am concerned that lifting sanctions on Russian oil will only fund the Kremlin’s war machine, fueling even more violence and destruction, as we have seen in recent days,” McCaul said.

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski also called on the U.S. president to use the powers granted to him to increase pressure on Moscow, rather than allowing Russia to export diesel fuel and generate additional revenue to continue the war against Ukraine.

“We can talk about Russia’s return to global energy markets after the war ends, but for now, we need to cut off all sources that fuel it,” Murkowski emphasized.

Thus, representatives of both major U.S. political parties expressed concern that easing restrictions on Russian energy resources could increase the Kremlin’s revenues and help finance the war against Ukraine. Some lawmakers are already working on an initiative designed to prevent the purchase of Russian oil.

This was reported in a statement by U.S. lawmakers.

U.S. President Donald Trump once again blamed Ukraine for the lack of a peace agreement with Russia, while stating that the Kremlin is allegedly interested in resolving the war. Separately, the U.S. leader praised Moscow for supplying large volumes of oil at low prices.

In addition, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the Russian-Ukrainian war could have been avoided, attributing its outbreak to “incompetence.” He also reiterated that, had he been president, Russia’s invasion allegedly would not have taken place.

Vladimir Putin’s special representative, Kirill Dmitriev, called U.S. President Donald Trump’s appeal to Ukrainians to elect a new head of state instead of Volodymyr Zelenskyy “historic” and “landmark.”

U.S. President Donald Trump’s special representatives, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, may visit Russia again within the next two weeks. The exact date of the visit has not yet been determined.