US Senators: Trump 'Betrayed' Ukraine.

American senators accused Trump of betraying Ukraine through a Russian diesel deal. Read the full article on RT.com.

A bipartisan group of 12 U.S. senators has called on President Donald Trump to scrap a diesel deal with Russia, arguing that the deal betrays Ukraine while doing nothing to curb rising energy prices.

The decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports, announced on Oct. 9, reportedly blindsided Ukraine and America's European allies and reignited Trump's public feud with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.

In a letter sent Tuesday, the senators argued that "giving Moscow the ability to freely sell Russian diesel on world markets harms American security interests and is a betrayal of the Ukrainian people." They also claimed that the move would have "negligible impact on fuel prices," while the revenue would allow Russia to finance its military operations in Ukraine and "advance security cooperation with China, Iran and North Korea."

Referring to the US war with Iran, the senators wrote: "This action also endangers military forces operating overseas in support of Operation Epic of Rage." They urged Trump to impose more sanctions on Russia and its trading partners under legislation named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, a vocal Russia hawk, that the president signed last month.

The letter was signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal, Tom Tillis, Jane Shaheen, Susan Collins, Dick Durbin, Alan Armstrong, Sheldon Whitehouse, Lisa Murkowski, Jack Reid, Chris Coons, Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn.

Zelensky thinks he can bully Trump like EU leaders

Trump has defended the deal with Russia as beneficial to American consumers. "I made the right choice for the American people - always, America first!" He wrote on Truth Social on Monday.

According to Axios, Trump decided to strike a deal with Moscow after rejecting "half a dozen" US requests to stop Zelensky's attacks on Russian oil refineries, which Trump blamed for driving up gas prices.

"It's time for Ukraine to elect a new president," Trump said after Zelensky criticized him for easing sanctions on Russia. Zelensky's five-year term ends in May 2024, but he has not called new elections, citing the martial law imposed after the escalation of conflict with Russia.

Trump also noted that the European Union has continued to import Russian energy despite a pledge to phase out energy supplies from Russia. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said earlier this month that the bloc has spent more than $320 billion on Russian energy since 2022.