American President Donald Trump asserts that he made the “right decision for the American people” when he reached an agreement with his counterpart, Vladimir Putin, regarding the sale of Russian diesel.
On Friday, following a discussion with the President of Russia, the Republican leader of the USA announced that he has agreed for Russia to immediately sell 300,000 tons of diesel on the American and global market, with the aim of reducing prices for American farmers.
Trump’s announcement has sparked dissatisfaction even within the Republican Party.
The American leader defended the agreement on Monday, in a post where he did not explicitly mention it.
“The European Union has paid Russia 250 billion dollars for energy, and the Fake News Press doesn’t want to touch this subject. I made the right decision for the American people – Always, America First!”, wrote Donald Trump, on Monday, on Truth Social.
The appeal made by several American senators
A group of Republican and Democratic senators have asked Trump to reconsider his decision on the agreement with Russia, which they believe violates a 2022 ban on Russian energy imports.
“President Trump’s decision to allow diesel imports from Russia into the US directly contravenes the respective law,” the senators stated in the declaration published on Sunday.
“Furthermore, the administration did not consult Congress nor did it provide any explanation to justify its decision, as required by law,” said the senators, according to Politico.
Merz rejects the agreement and calls for the maintenance of sanctions
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized on Monday the decision of the American administration and ruled out the possibility of Germany and Europe following such a course. He argued that Russia will only negotiate seriously if it is subjected to pressure and advocated for maintaining sanctions against Moscow, according to dpa.
Merz argued that restrictive measures should even be tightened, in the context of Russian attacks on civilian energy infrastructure in Ukraine. Moreover, the German chancellor assured that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky can continue to count on the support of Germany and Europe.