Former Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday called on President Donald Trump to rescind his diesel deal with Russia, declaring in a post on X that “Putin doesn’t want peace” and that “enough is enough.” The post, published at 11:38 a.m. on October 13, 2026, urged Trump to return to the Russia policies of the first administration, impose harsh sanctions on any nation buying Russian energy, and help Ukraine win the war. It came four days after Trump announced the deal with Putin and just as Russia was striking Ukrainian power plants despite a newly declared “energy ceasefire.”
What Pence Said
Pence’s full post read:
“Putin doesn’t want peace. Putin wants Ukraine. Enough is enough.
President Trump should rescind the diesel deal with Russia and return to the strong policies of our four years in the White House; use the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia Act to impose harsh sanctions on any nation purchasing Russian energy and work with our allies to ensure Ukraine has the military support it needs to repel and defeat this Russian invasion once and for all. Slava Ukraini🇺🇸🇺🇦”
Pence attached an editorial published October 12 by the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, headlined “Putin Ignores That Energy ‘Cease-Fire.’” The editorial reported that a Shahed drone struck a power plant in Kyiv on Sunday and that Russian forces also hit a thermal power plant in Kharkiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram that “this happened after the statement by the President of the United States about a ceasefire in the energy sector.”
The Diesel Deal Behind the Post
The deal Pence wants rescinded was announced Friday, October 9, after a phone call between Trump and Putin. Trump said Russia would release large volumes of diesel onto the U.S. and global markets, with an initial figure of 300,000 metric tons. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 135 the same day, at Trump’s direction. The license authorizes transactions otherwise barred by U.S. sanctions regulations “related to the sale, delivery, offloading, or importation, including importation into the United States, of diesel fuel of Russian Federation origin” through 12:01 a.m. EDT on April 7, 2027. It does not authorize debits to accounts of Russia’s central bank, National Wealth Fund or Finance Ministry held at U.S. financial institutions.
The editorial Pence shared estimated the pause would let Russian energy companies take in roughly $4.5 billion while Putin gave Trump “nothing we can see in return.” Zelensky called the sanctions easing “an obvious weakness.” Russia has banned diesel exports since July 8 after Ukrainian drone strikes on its refineries, and Trump has blamed those strikes for the surge in diesel prices, saying Kyiv “better damn well stop” them. Ukraine’s sanctions commissioner, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, disputed that reasoning, saying that if the sanctions relief provides market relief, “then it’s clear the primary impact to the global diesel market was the Iran conflict and blockade, not Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.”
Russia’s Answer to the “Energy Ceasefire”
On Sunday, Trump declared on Truth Social: “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” The announcement blindsided Kyiv and its European allies. Zelensky said Monday that Ukraine had struck no Russian refineries overnight and was “ready to adhere to any energy truce, if Russia is willing to do the same.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected any pause and promised to press ahead with the military campaign. European Union members approved their largest sanctions package since Russia’s 2022 invasion the same day.
The Law Named for Lindsey Graham
The legislation Pence wants Trump to use is the “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026,” which Trump signed on September 18 after the Senate passed it 86–11 on August 7 and the House 262–159 on September 16. The White House described it as authorizing and expanding “statutory sanctions, tariffs, and prohibitions on Russia.” It targets Russian officials, banks, defense and energy industries and the “shadow fleet” of tankers, and allows tariffs of up to 100 percent on top buyers of Russian oil and gas, including China and India. Graham, the South Carolina Republican who championed it for more than a year, died July 11, days after Trump allowed a vote to be scheduled.
Pence’s Earlier Rebuke
The October 13 post was not Pence’s first response. On Sunday Pence had already called Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Russian oil a “betrayal” of Graham’s legacy, he urged the president to “rescind” it. In a lengthy earlier X post, Pence wrote that the decision, “amidst Putin’s ongoing and brutal attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine makes no sense and is a betrayal of the legacy and leadership of the late Senator Lindsey Graham.” He said he “saw firsthand in Ukraine last month” that “Putin is losing this war,” and added: “Putin wants Ukraine. I have no doubt that if Putin overruns Ukraine, it will only be a matter of time until Russia’s military crosses a border that our troops will have to deal with him.”
A Record of Opposing Putin
Pence’s stance has been consistent since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. That March, days after Trump called Putin “genius” and “savvy,” Pence told Republican donors in New Orleans: “There is no room in this party for apologists for Putin. There is only room for champions of freedom.” He added: “Putin only understands strength. As members of the party that won the Cold War, we must send a deafening message: Putin must stop or Putin must pay.” He also called for arming Ukraine with lethal weapons and sanctioning all Russian oil exports worldwide. Days later he visited the Ukraine-Poland border and met refugees.
On the war’s one-year anniversary in February 2023, Pence said: “Make no mistake: This is not America’s war, but if we falter in our commitment to providing the support to the people of Ukraine to defend their freedom, our sons and daughters may soon be called upon to defend ours.” That June he made a surprise trip to Kyiv and met Zelensky, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to visit Ukraine after launching a campaign. On the trail he told a conservative gathering in Iowa: “I never want to see American armed forces in Ukraine,” while warning that a Russian victory would eventually pull U.S. forces into defending a NATO ally.
During Trump’s second term, Pence has pressed the same themes from outside the administration. In May 2025 he said, “the time has come for President Trump to impose harsh sanctions on Russia,” and that Putin “only understands strength.” After the August 2025 Alaska summit he said Trump “deserves credit as leader of the free world for not giving up on Ukraine,” but added: “At the end of the day, it’s important to remember the bad guy here is Putin.” He warned that “Putin is not going to stop until he’s stopped.” After Trump resumed military aid to Ukraine, Pence said: “My hope is that the president is starting to recognize Vladimir Putin doesn’t want peace. Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine.”
Republican Resistance and the Battlefield
Pence is not alone among Republicans. Sen. Thom Tillis said Sunday there is “a legitimate case for saying the president’s not following the law.” Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Trump “should be using those authorities instead of allowing Russia to export diesel, rake in revenues and continue its catastrophic war in Ukraine.” Rep. Michael McCaul warned that lifting sanctions “will only fund the Kremlin’s war machine,” and Rep. Don Bacon called the deal “a significant mistake.” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick introduced a bipartisan bill intended to block the lifting of Russia sanctions. Sen. John Barrasso defended the deal, saying Trump is focused on lowering costs for consumers, ranchers, farmers and truckers.
The editorial Pence shared described a Russian military in difficulty. It cited the Institute for the Study of War’s assessment that Russia has made “near-zero gains since March 2026,” and noted that Ukraine’s Operation Vivaldi thwarted a Russian plan to encircle the eastern defensive stronghold known as the Fortress Belt. Putin has responded, the editorial argued, by escalating aerial attacks on cities and energy plants, exploiting Ukraine’s shortage of Patriot missiles and functioning F-16 jets ahead of winter.
Why It Matters
Pence’s post lands as diesel prices sit near record highs ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, which will decide whether Republicans keep their thin congressional majorities. Trump’s diesel push is widely seen as driven by that pressure. The U.S. license runs until April 7, 2027, well past Election Day, while the Graham law already gives the president the sanctions and tariff tools Pence wants used instead. Critics argue the deal undercuts the very law Trump signed less than a month ago. Trump has also said it is time for Ukraine to replace Zelensky, a remark that has deepened the dispute with Kyiv and European allies.
Pence closed his post with “Slava Ukraini,” the Ukrainian wartime salute. The White House had not publicly responded to the post as of publication.