US Sen. Thom Tillis questioned the legality of President Donald Trump’s decision to temporarily ease sanctions on Russian diesel in order to bring down record fuel prices caused by the US and Israel’s war against Iran.
In a Sunday interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Tillis argued that sanctions relief could violate Congressional law.
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“I believe there is good reason to say the president is not following the law,” Tillis said.
President Trump’s decision worries some Republican lawmakers who continue to support Ukraine in its war with Russia, which began in February 2022 after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the Eastern European country.
Tillis warned that a vote to uphold Trump’s legislative priorities would depend on a change in direction from the White House.
“If the president wants my support, I think he should get support for military operations funding and year-end funding beyond baseline funding, but I think the president needs to understand that this is an issue. I’m not the only Republican concerned about this issue,” Tillis said.
Tillis has been a critical voice within the Republican Party, denouncing what he sees as the Trump administration’s overreach.
However, his term as a senator is coming to an end. Tillis announced in June 2025 that he would not seek re-election in the November 3 midterm elections, after President Trump threatened to challenge the primary in his home state of North Carolina. His term ends in January.
Separately on Sunday, Tillis joined a bipartisan group of senators in releasing a letter condemning sanctions relief against Russia.
The group included Republicans such as Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and John Curtis of Utah, as well as Democrats Jeanne Shaheen and Richard Blumenthal.
“The United States should not provide an economic lifeline to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians. The administration must change course immediately,” the senators wrote.
Rep. Don Bacon, also a retired Republican, said Friday that “supporting the war economy is morally wrong because President Putin is using that money to bomb cities.”
The backlash signals divisions within the Republican Party over Russian aggression.
While members of the party’s establishment generally call for strong support for Kiev, other party members are skeptical of continued U.S. support for Ukraine.
President Trump himself has criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and accused the Kiev government of interfering with a U.S.-negotiated ceasefire.
“I propose that we get a new leader who can make deals, because he could have made a lot of deals, but for some reason he never does,” Trump said Saturday. “It was a war that should never have started, and I think it’s time for Ukraine to have a new president.”
A day earlier, Trump announced that a phone call with Putin had reached an agreement to supply 300,000 tonnes of diesel to the global market, with another 500,000 tonnes to be delivered in November.
In an interview with Fox & Friends on Sunday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent argued that the administration’s decision to ease some sanctions against Moscow was necessary to obtain relief from soaring diesel prices.
“We will use all legal powers to respond,” Bessent said.
Analysts say the decision is unlikely to lower prices in the long term. Critics like Tillis also point to past laws, such as a 2022 executive order, that prohibited imports of Russian fuel.
A law signed last month (named after the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham) also bans U.S. investment in Russia’s energy sector.
This year’s rise in global fuel prices is largely due to the US-Israel war against Iran that began in February. As a result of the war, Iran restricted commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, an important waterway for fuel trade.
Mr. Tillis pointed to this situation in his remarks at a press conference.
“If President Trump wants to end the energy crunch, he needs to first get things right with Iran and second, recognize that Vladimir Putin, not Zelensky, started this war,” Tillis said.
“President Vladimir Putin is responsible for the energy prices that occur in that part of the world.”
President Trump’s decision also drew international criticism, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office issuing a statement supporting Ukraine.
“This agreement is in direct opposition to the efforts of Ukraine, Canada, and our allies to build peace and stability in Europe,” Carney’s office said in a readout of the phone call with Zelensky on Sunday. “It will bring additional revenue to Russia and help finance its illegal and unjust war against Ukraine.”
