Congress warns banks and ports of legal risk over Russian diesel imports

A coalition of Democratic congressmen and Republican Senator Thom Tillis wrote to leading U.S. financial institutions and major port operators, stating that any transaction involving Russian diesel could raise serious legal questions and be subject to congressional scrutiny. The correspondence, signed by lawmakers including Gregory Meeks, Jeanne Shaheen, Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, Chris Coons and Sheldon Whitehouse, urges banks such as JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, and ports in New York-New Jersey, Houston, Corpus Christi and Beaumont to retain all records of proposed or actual diesel imports.

The effort comes after President Donald Trump announced the resumption of Russian fuel deliveries to the U.S. and the removal of previous sanctions, a policy that opponents argue may indirectly support Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. The legislators warn that both direct importers and companies that facilitate the trade could face criminal and civil penalties. They also see the letters as a way to build parliamentary leverage ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Moscow has already dispatched the first diesel shipment bound for the United States.