Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday defended the Trump administration's easing of sanctions on Russian diesel, telling NBC's "Meet the Press" that critics ignore Europe's own record.
Asked by Kristen Welker what Vladimir Putin had done to deserve relief, Bessent said "no sanctions were lifted" on Friday, when President Trump waived new penalties in a Russia sanctions law, adding there is "a 60-day period so we can examine what's going on." He said, "The only thing that has been lifted is the diesel embargo," and that after Trump sanctioned Rosneft and Lukoil, "no one has been tougher on Russian sanctions than President Trump."
"I will point out the U.K. in May waived their embargo on diesel and jet fuel made with Russian crude," Bessent said. "So, you know, where's the outrage for the rest of the world? You know, President Zelensky does not criticize his European partners." He said Europeans "are financing the Russian war machine," importing "more than ten times" the $4 billion in Russian goods the U.S. buys. Asked if Trump is siding with Russia, he called that "a false binary," citing U.S. intelligence, Starlink and weapons sold through NATO.
His U.K. point largely holds. Britain's new ban on fuel refined from Russian crude in countries like India took effect May 20, but a temporary licence kept diesel and jet fuel flowing until January 1, 2027. The move drew criticism there too.
Six Republican and six Democratic senators, including Mitch McConnell and Thom Tillis, urged Trump to drop the diesel deal, calling it "a betrayal of the people of Ukraine." Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said Trump is walking a "fine balance." Earlier on the show, Zelenskyy blamed the U.S. for a Starlink slowdown.
Photo: U.S. Department of the Treasury
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