Congressman Gregory Meeks and a gaggle of 17 co-sponsors (16 Democrats joined by 1 Republican) introduced the “Prohibit Corrupt Russia Oil Deals Act” on Friday, aimed at nullifying the recent general license issued by the US Treasury to authorize transactions otherwise prohibited by Biden-era sanctions as long as they pertain to the “sale, delivery, offloading, or importation, including importation into the United States.” In a third-rate echo of the NATO/Coalition of the Willing warmongers, Meeks said that the diesel deal would “hand Putin millions of dollars to continue slaughtering Ukrainian civilians with impunity,” and that “At a time when the United States should be increasing pressure on the Kremlin, Donald Trump is cozying up to Putin and striking self-enriching deals instead of standing with Ukraine.”

Whether the bill has a chance of actually passing the Congress or not, it gives the small-minded in Congress a chance to shake their partisan fists in the weeks leading into their reelection campaigns, rather than looking for a way for the US to exit geopolitical and potentially nuclear conflicts.