Republican voices join opposition to Trump's Russian diesel deal

Opposition is mounting within the Republican Party to President Donald Trump's decision to temporarily ease sanctions on Russia and allow imports of Russian diesel.

According to The New York Times, former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is running for a US Senate seat in Michigan, and Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska both voiced opposition to Trump's deal to import Russian diesel on Saturday (local time).

Rogers told reporters Friday that "there should not be one inch of concession to him" — referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin — and said he did not support Trump's approach.

Sullivan, who is seeking reelection in the November midterm elections, said in a statement released through a spokesperson that "the answer to high energy prices lies in securing American energy dominance," arguing that the United States should expand energy production in Alaska rather than import Russian energy.

Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who is retiring, called the deal "a significant mistake by the president," adding that "everyone knows that sanctions on Russia are appropriate when Russia is invading other countries and bombing cities in the middle of the night."

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, a Republican, said he would introduce legislation to block purchases of Russian oil and force a House floor vote.

According to Axios, Fitzpatrick, co-chair of the congressional Ukraine Caucus, plans to introduce the bill — titled the "Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Act" — and pursue a discharge petition to bring it to a full House vote without approval from House leadership.

Trump earlier announced he had reached an agreement with Putin to supply Russian diesel to the United States and global markets on a large scale. The US government subsequently announced a temporary easing of sanctions on Russia, allowing imports of Russian diesel into the United States.