Trump throws a lifeline to Vladimir Putin
On Friday, President Donald Trump shocked the world by easing sanctions on Russia to allow the sale of Russian diesel fuel to the United States and global markets. He boasted that his action would dramatically reduce the price of diesel fuel for Americans and the rest of the world. Trump’s action is a shameful betrayal of Ukraine and our allies that will have little, if any, effect on the price of diesel but will help finance Russia’s war machine and reward a ruthless autocratic regime that continues to murder Ukrainian civilians every week.
Ironically, Trump’s action comes in the wake of newly authorized sanctions that have the potential to throttle the Russian war machine. Less than a month ago, he signed into law the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which imposes mandatory sanctions and tariffs on countries buying Russian oil and natural gas. The bipartisan act passed the Senate by an overwhelming 86-11 margin, reflecting the broad support for........
