Republican lawmakers challenge Trump’s Russia policy and diesel deal

Bacon withholds Ukraine support as Fitzpatrick demands accountability

On Monday, a handful of Republican lawmakers challenged Donald Trump’s softened stance toward Russia after the president paused sanctions on Moscow and announced a deal with Vladimir Putin to import diesel fuel. Outgoing Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon said he was withholding support for Ukraine and would not support Trump’s domestic priorities, while Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick said lawmakers could take “punitive budgetary action” to force answers about the diesel agreement and Starlink disruptions.

Bacon condemned Trump’s actions — the sanctions pause and agreement to buy Russian diesel — as “absolutely disgraceful.” He accused Trump of cozying up to a “war criminal” in Putin, his Russian counterpart, and said, “It really is disgraceful, and the Republicans that I associate with, there’s a lot of us, can’t stand it.” Bacon told CNN that “the president’s leverage in this Congress is shot.”

Bacon said he was unwilling to support Trump’s agenda, including building a triumphal arch or a new White House ballroom, while withholding support for Ukraine. “Why would I want to support the president’s priorities, like the victory arch?” Bacon asked. “Frankly, what I see him doing here is surrendering.” He added: “Why should we try to accommodate him and meet him halfway on funding when he is embarrassing this country so bad with what he’s doing with Putin and Zelensky?”

Fitzpatrick told MS Now on Monday that the Trump administration had not given “sufficient answers” about the recent disruptions to Starlink and the diesel deal. “This is wildly unacceptable, and it’s not going to stand,” Fitzpatrick said. “There’s going to be consequences to this. And by the way, it’s not just Starshield. It’s the diesel deal. It’s the lifting of sanctions. It’s all of this stuff.” Fitzpatrick said lawmakers would “demand accountability” and could take “punitive budgetary action” to force the administration to provide answers.

Last week, Trump waived sanctions imposed on Russia through a law named after his longtime ally and the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. Trump had signed the legislation only the previous month. The law was intended to increase financial pressure on Russia more than four years after Russia invaded Ukraine. Instead, Trump announced an agreement with Putin to import diesel fuel. The Guardian said diesel had become more expensive for Americans largely because of Trump’s war with Iran. Trump had previously blamed Ukraine’s strikes on Russia.

Over the weekend, Trump claimed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “doesn’t care” about the impact of Ukraine’s strikes on Russia and “doesn’t want to end this war and probably never did” because Ukraine was receiving financial support from Europe. On Monday, Trump suggested Zelenskyy should step down, saying it was “time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine.”

In an interview with Bloomberg, Zelenskyy said he believed Trump was taking steps to “convince Ukraine to capitulate” to Russian demands. On social media, Zelenskyy reaffirmed Ukraine’s partnership with the United States.

South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of Lindsey Graham, broke with Trump’s decision over the weekend. Graham told reporters on Saturday: “Personally, I would choose to put the pressure on Russia to end the war and get gas prices down because I don’t trust Putin, and I don’t trust Russia.”

Outgoing Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy wrote on X in response to a recent Wall Street Journal editorial: “[Ronald Reagan] and [Lindsey Graham] would be ashamed of this.” Mitt Romney, a former Republican senator and presidential candidate, wrote on social media that if the United States abandoned Ukraine, it would also “abandon liberty.”

Some lawmakers had already raised concerns about Trump’s support for Ukraine after Ukrainian officials said the country’s access to Starlink, a satellite internet service powered by Elon Musk’s company, had been restricted the previous week. Musk hinted on social media that the United States government controlled Ukraine’s access. Zelenskyy also accused the US government of withholding intelligence about an incoming Russian missile attack on Sunday evening — the third accusation of its kind.

The Guardian’s accompanying photograph showed Trump speaking at a midterm campaign rally at the Dalton municipal airport in Georgia on 16 October 2026. The image was credited to Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images.