Diesel Waiver Deal Sends 300,000 Metric Tons of Russian Fuel to US Ports

A Treasury Department waiver issued on October 9 opened a pipeline for more than 300,000 metric tons of Russian diesel to move into American and global markets. President Donald Trump announced the volume after talks with President Vladimir Putin, saying Russia had agreed to immediate deliveries with more to follow. Diesel prices have climbed as energy supplies tightened because of the war in Iran.

Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican who co-chairs the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, introduced the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act of 2026 on October 24 to cancel the waiver. Co-sponsors include Representative Don Bacon, Republican of Nebraska, and Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Democrat of Washington. The measure would bar future waivers covering Russian energy imports and requires intelligence agencies to support Ukraine's defense. It also mandates that congressional intelligence committees receive notice within 24 hours of any interruption in that support. The bill has been referred to three House committees, and the waiver it targets is set to expire on April 7, 2027.

Fitzpatrick said the waiver violates a 2022 federal prohibition on Russian oil imports. "We must not import a single drop of Russian oil," he said. Bacon called the arrangement appeasement and said, "Congress must be a check to the president's egregious appeasement to Putin." Gluesenkamp Perez said any effort to lower gasoline prices should address the conflict in Iran rather than direct money to Russia.

A separate dispute involves satellite links used by Ukrainian forces. Reports say Starlink and Starshield service was restricted beginning October 13, cutting connection speeds for drones and other platforms traveling faster than 100 miles per hour. Ukrainian officials said on October 24 that speeds had been restored, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the limits remained in place even after Trump said he spoke with Musk and service returned. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said neither Trump nor other officials ordered or knew of the restrictions. A Ukrainian official told RFE/RL that SpaceX has not answered Kyiv's questions about the earlier cutoff and that "no one has explained what happened or what will happen next."

Eight lawmakers from both parties wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asking the Pentagon to expand its Starshield contract and guarantee continuous service for Ukraine's military operations, including over Russian territory. The group includes Representatives Marcy Kaptur, Fitzpatrick, and Mike Quigley, plus Senators Mark Kelly, Thom Tillis, and Elissa Slotkin. They raised the Defense Production Act as a tool, stating service decisions "should not be left solely to the discretion of a private provider."

Democrats on Capitol Hill are also pressing for answers. Representative Gregory Meeks and Senator Peter Welch led six members questioning Musk's account that the military and the president chose the limits, pointing to reports that Musk proposed them. Senator Richard Blumenthal has set November 5 as the deadline for written responses from Musk and November 12 for a SpaceX briefing. Representatives Sam Liccardo, Ro Khanna, and Jimmy Panetta have asked White House chief of staff Susie Wiles to open a government-wide investigation. Tillis wrote on X that whoever is handing Putin "the gift of a more vulnerable Ukraine" should "have the guts to put their name on it." The bill now sits with three House committees.