MaddowBlog-Democrats slam Trump over 'dangerous and indefensible gift to Vladimir Putin'

[LetMyPeopleVote]

The president often brags about how “tough” he is with the Russian president. The evidence proving otherwise is increasingly overwhelming.

Team Trump keeps finding new ways to reward Russia:
- yet another break on oil sanctions
- shrugged off evidence that Russia has helped Iran
- ignored Russian attacks on US interests in Ukraine
- allowed Russia to bypass Cuban oil blockade

And that’s just from the last couple of months.

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-05-19T16:03:33.800Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/democrats-slam-trump-over-dangerous-and-indefensible-gift-to-vladimir-putin

Shortly after Donald Trump launched the war with Iran, the president’s administration confronted a crisis in the energy sector that it appeared wholly unprepared to address. In early March, the Republican operation said part of its response would be to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian oil, allowing money to flow into Moscow as part of a larger effort to contain prices....

Days later, Team Trump extended its pause on sanctions on Russian oil shipments, making Bessent look quite foolish. This week, it happened again. Reuters reported:

U.S. Treasury Secretary ​Scott Bessent on Monday announced another 30-day extension of a sanctions waiver allowing purchases of Russian seaborne oil to aid “energy-vulnerable” countries hit by the Iran war, reversing plans ‌not to grant an extension.

Bessent said in a posting on X that the Treasury was issuing the 30-day general license after a previous waiver lapsed on Saturday. This will allow temporary access to Russian oil and petroleum products stranded on tankers without violating severe U.S. sanctions on Russian oil majors, he said.

The news was not well received among many on Capitol Hill. In a joint statement, Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts argued, “The Trump Administration is delivering another dangerous and indefensible gift to Vladimir Putin by extending sanctions relief for Russian oil yet again. Every additional dollar the Kremlin earns from this license helps Putin finance his illegal war against Ukraine and kill innocent Ukrainians. … Continuing to show weakness like this will only invite more aggression and put a just end to the war in Ukraine further away.”

The political pushback was clearly warranted given the circumstances, but the Trump administration’s newest favor for the Kremlin was the latest in a recent series. The president and his team have also recently:

Shrugged off compelling evidence that Russia has helped Iran target American assets in the Middle East.

Looked the other way after Russia attacked American-owned business interests in Ukraine.

Allowed Russia to bypass a U.S. oil blockade intended to smother the Cuban government.

Vouched for Putin’s trustworthiness.

Echoed Kremlin talking points.
Bragged about curtailing U.S. aid to Ukraine, which is still trying to defend itself in response to Russia’s invasion.

It’s worth emphasizing that all of these developments have unfolded over the past couple of months, and this list doesn’t include the many steps Trump and his team took that benefited Russia in 2025, including a humiliating attempt at direct diplomacy with Putin during a failed summit in Alaska, in which the American president slunk away empty-handed.

[sheshe2]

1. He is, has always been a Russian asset.