October 28, 2026
Don't Buy Russian Diesel. Don't Bankroll Putin's War.
Donald Trump wants American companies to buy diesel from Russia, handing Vladimir Putin a potential financial lifeline while his military continues its brutal war against Ukraine.
And the climate consequences? More money flowing into a notoriously polluting fossil fuel industry, more dependence on dirty energy, and another step backward when we should be accelerating the transition to clean energy.
American oil companies must not become willing partners in this disastrous deal. And Representative Jamie Raskin is warning that companies participating could face serious legal consequences.
In a reckless attempt to lower gas prices before the election, Trump recently announced an agreement to bring millions of barrels of Russian diesel onto American and global markets. Just weeks earlier, he signed bipartisan legislation intended to tighten sanctions on Russia and cut off revenue fueling its war in Ukraine.
Now his administration is waiving those new sanctions and authorizing diesel imports despite a separate federal law passed in 2022 that explicitly bans Russian energy imports. That law remains in effect, and lawmakers warn that Trump's deal could violate it.
The administration claims the deal will help lower fuel prices. But energy experts question whether the relatively small quantities involved will meaningfully reduce costs for American consumers.
What the deal could do is provide Russia with additional revenue as its military continues attacking Ukrainian cities, homes, and infrastructure.
Every dollar spent on Russian fuel helps sustain the economy supporting Putin's war.
And the damage doesn't stop there.
Russia's oil industry is an especially troubling contributor to the climate crisis. According to the International Energy Agency, Russia's oil and gas operations release enormous quantities of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Russia is also the world's largest gas-flaring country, burning off vast quantities of natural gas and pumping additional pollution into the atmosphere.
Buying Russian diesel means supporting a fossil fuel industry with a damaging climate footprint, even as communities around the world suffer increasingly destructive floods, wildfires, and extreme heat.
There is another reason American oil companies should refuse this deal: It may violate federal law.
Representative Raskin has warned major oil industry groups that companies helping import Russian diesel could face serious civil and criminal penalties. Lawmakers from both parties have raised similar concerns.
We cannot fight climate change by doubling down on fossil fuels. And we cannot stand with the people of Ukraine while helping finance the economy behind Russia's invasion.
Thank you for all that you do,
Mitch w/ Tipping Point
Photo: Artem Krasnov / Kommersant
