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DOJ Subpoenas Omar Relatives in Escalation of Long-Running Probe

The Justice Department, in an apparent escalation of a long-running investigation involving the immigration history of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has issued subpoenas to members of her family, The New York Times reported Tuesday, as the congresswoman accuses the Trump administration of political retribution for her outspoken criticism of the president.

The subpoenas mark a new development in a probe that has drawn scrutiny after federal agents searched Omar's Washington-area home Monday, an action she condemned as an attempt to intimidate political opponents and weaponize federal law enforcement.

"For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns," Omar wrote on social media Monday. "This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced."

Federal authorities have not publicly laid out the full scope of the investigation or disclosed what evidence investigators are seeking through the subpoenas.

The search Monday was conducted by agents with Homeland Security Investigations under a court-authorized warrant, the Justice Department confirmed, but officials offered few details about the criminal investigation.

The inquiry follows months of public comments by Trump administration officials about allegations involving Omar's immigration history.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said last month that an ongoing investigation was examining, in part, whether Omar had lied on immigration forms, adding that "something's going to happen," according to The Associated Press.

Omar, who was born in Somalia and became a naturalized U.S. citizen, has repeatedly rejected allegations concerning her immigration history.

President Donald Trump has frequently criticized Omar, particularly over her immigration views and opposition to his policies.

Trump said Monday he had "nothing to do" with the search, while also calling Omar "totally crooked, personally," according to the AP.

The timing of the search has intensified questions about whether the investigation is politically motivated, coming just weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and other top Democrats condemned the search, accusing the administration of targeting Omar and raising concerns about the use of federal law enforcement against a political opponent.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, described the action as political harassment and argued that the timing conflicted with longstanding Justice Department practices concerning politically sensitive investigations before elections.

Justice Department guidance has traditionally cautioned against overt investigative steps intended to influence an election, although the existence of a search warrant does not itself establish that an investigation is politically motivated.

Vice President JD Vance has previously accused Omar of immigration fraud, according to news reports, while the administration has maintained that federal authorities are pursuing an ongoing criminal investigation.

Grand jury subpoenas are used to obtain testimony or documents during investigations and do not, by themselves, establish wrongdoing by the people who receive them.

The Justice Department has not publicly announced any criminal charges against Omar in connection with the investigation.

© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

 

Bruce Blakeman Leaves Kathy Hochul 'Short Circuiting' During Contentious NY Gov's Debate

On Tuesday, incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) faced her Republican challenger, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, in the only debate of the New York governor's race. Spectrum News hosted the event for what many consider a toss-up race. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Bruce Blakeman are nearly neck-and-neck as they head into the gubernatorial election’s only debate Tuesday, a stunning new poll found.

Democrat Hochul leads the Republican Nassau executive 47% to 44%, a Pollfinity survey released Tuesday found.

The poll found about 6% of voters were undecided, while another 3% planned to cast their ballots for others.

It went as expected. Blakeman came with facts and policies; Hochul blamed President Donald Trump for the problems New York faces and her refusal to keep New Yorkers safe. In fact, safety took up a huge portion of the debate, and Blakeman came loaded for bear.

One knew things were not going well for Hochul when she literally glitched in the midst of her opening statement.

Blakeman was a bit more eloquent in his delivery, and reminded New Yorkers that Trump was not the reason for the state's decline: Kathy Hochul's terrible leadership is.

Republican candidate Bruce Blakeman said New York state currently has a poor economic outlook - and he said it's the fault of Gov. Kathy Hochul, not President Donald Trump.

“We’re dead last because people aren’t investing in New York because they don’t have confidence in the policies of Kathy Hochul,” he said.

Blakeman was most on target when he called Hochul out on her sanctuary policies, which have resulted in a series of murders in the Big Apple allegedly perpetrated by illegal aliens. The most recent was on Thursday in the Bronx, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded 28-year-old Oscar Belgal, a Dominican illegal alien who had a conviction for grand larceny stemming from an armed robbery and a pending drug case involving fentanyl and other substances. 

As my RedState colleague Rusty reported, federal authorities had also linked  Belgal to the Trinitarios gang and his possible involvement in the shooting of an off-duty Border Patrol agent. 

Belgal also wins a Father of the Year award for having his five-year-old in the back seat of this vehicle as he allegedly accelerated toward the ICE agents. They shot into the car, unaware that the child was in it. 

Hochul accused Blakeman of lying about his record of supporting law enforcement, cooperation with ICE, and keeping Nassau County safe. Blakeman was having none of it, and countered:

BLAKEMAN: Maybe you haven't heard: U.S. News and World Report says I have the safest county in America.

So, I back law enforcement and I back the laws of both our federal government and our state government. And I give our law enforcement professionals the tools they need to keep us safe.

You say you spent 4 billion dollars on law enforcement? Well, you spent 8 billion dollars on illegal migrants and gave them more benefits than New Yorkers get: how does that make any sense?

Hochul's record of coddling the migrants and refusing to be held accountable has become legend. She claims compassion and devastation, but to some critics, her face looks like she just had a fresh Botox session. Blakeman once again confronted her over the death and destruction that is directly correlated to Hochul's refusal to work with ICE to remove criminal illegal aliens from New York.

HOCHUL: I was devastated.

BLAKEMAN: How about the two 30-year-old women who were murdered by an illegal migrant in my county? What do you say to their families? What do you say to all those people who have had their children hooked on drugs by illegal migrants bringing fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin into our communities? We have an epidemic of crime from these illegal migrants. Sixteen-thousand detainers are out there for people who committed 52,000 crimes in our state, and you won't let local law enforcement cooperate with ICE to pick them up and get out of this state.

But here is where Blakeman left Hochul in the dust. When Blakeman confronted her on her lack of compassion for the victims of illegal alien crime, and whether she would apologize to these parents who lost their children because of it, Hochul did everything but dance the two-step to get around having to admit culpability or say she would apologize.

Hochul offered up this tortured and strained response.

You know, any crime is heartbreaking. There's a family left with a huge hole in their heart. And I abhor all crimes, regardless of the perpetrator, victims deserve our sympathy, they deserve our compassion. And that's why I'm laser focused on making New York so much safer than it has been before.

BLAKEMAN: So, Gov. Hochul. Under your sanctuary policies, a 14-year old was raped recently here in New York state by an illegal migrant.

Four Irondequot residents were killed recently by an illegal migrant. Two of those victims were children under the age of five.

Two Nassau County women in their 30s were killed by an illegal migrant because of your sanctuary policies.

Will you apologize to that 14-year-old girl, whose life is forever changed and her family, and the families of those who were killed? The ones that'll never get to sit another Thanksgiving dinner, never be able to open their presents under the Christmas tree? Will you apologize to them, and will you please return Sheridan Gorman's parents' calls to talk to you about your sanctuary policy?

HOCHUL: You know, any crime is heartbreaking. There's a family left with a huge hole in their heart. And I abhor all crimes, regardless of the perpetrator, victims deserve our sympathy, they deserve our compassion. And that's why I'm laser focused on making New York so much safer than it has been before.

One New York City Councilman summed it up well: it's time to put politics aside and save New York.

Bruce Blakeman showed tonight that he means business, wiping the floor with the worst governor New York has ever had, Kathy Hochul, and proving he’s ready to lead on day one with common sense, lower taxes, and a government that works for you, not against you. 

We cannot afford four more years of destruction under Hochul, and as a Democrat, I urge my fellow Democrats and independents to put party politics aside and vote for Bruce Blakeman this November to save our state.

Early voting in New York starts October 24.

Credit: redstate.com 

 

Cover-Up? Staff Emails Show Ilhan Omar’s Office Requested Birth Year Change to Fit Citizenship Story

Staff emails reportedly show that Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (MN-05) congressional office contacted the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library in May 2019 and requested that her listed birth year be changed from 1981 to 1982.

The request came several months after Omar was elected to Congress and shortly after a video from a political opponent went viral questioning whether she had accurately stated her age.

For years, the 1981 date had appeared in the legislative library’s records, on Wikipedia, and in media reports, including during her time in the Minnesota House.

That effort appears significant and suggests her staff knew there was an issue with her listed birth year.

Omar has long said she received derivative citizenship through her father when he naturalized in 2000 and that she was still a minor then. A 1981 birth year would have made her 18 or 19 that year, which would have disqualified her from deriving citizenship as a minor.

The New York Post reported that the library director confirmed the staff request in writing, noting that Omar’s office was also working to update the date on Wikipedia and the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

“On May 17, 2019, Library staff were informed by Rep. Omar’s congressional staff that her birth year was incorrect and requested that we change it to 1982,” the director wrote days after the change request. “Rep. Omar’s congressional staff are working with Wikipedia and with the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress and other sources to correct her birth year on those sites."

Embedded tweet continues:

... that whole year and one year is the difference between her citizenship story working and not. "For derivative citizenship, two things have to be true — one, her father had to naturalize; and two, she still had to be a minor." That one year matters a lot.

The Washington Post later reported that a federal investigation into possible false statements on immigration paperwork is focused in part on her birth date and related citizenship documents, an inquiry that recently included a search of her Washington residence and subpoenas issued to family members.

“HSI was just looking at her file top to bottom,” a Trump administration official told the outlet.

RedState editor Bob Hoge on Tuesday reported that some members of Omar’s family have received grand jury subpoenas tied to the investigation in recent days.

"The stakes just got higher as the Justice Department issued subpoenas to some of Omar’s relatives as they dig into her family’s history and search for evidence of fraud or false statements in immigration paperwork," Hoge wrote.

Embedded tweet continues:

... sister Sahra Noor and at least one other relative while digging through records on whether her late father, Nur Omar Mohamed, LIED or OMITTED information on immigration forms before becoming a U.S. citizen. On Monday, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) raided Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C. home and hauled out boxes of documents after a federal judge signed a court-approved warrant.

President Trump weighed in on the DHS investigation into Omar, suggesting the effort may center on her questionable financial reporting, which RedState has covered extensively.

In May 2025, Omar reported household assets between roughly $6 million and $30 million. By March 2026, she filed an amended disclosure that dropped those figures to $18,004–$95,000 and listed the related businesses as having no net value after liabilities. She attributed the large swing to an accounting error.

"Could it be that her highly paid accountant actually reported the money that was stolen from her fraudulent activities in Minnesota?" Trump wondered aloud in a Truth Social post.

"Do you think the accountant actually gave the right number the first time, 30 Million Dollars, and then she was forced to disavow because she never would have been able to report where that much money came from?"

Whatever criticism may be directed at Omar, she is not unintelligent. And yet we're supposed to believe she didn't initially know what year she was born and miscalculated her financial assets by roughly 99 percent?

The congresswoman continues to assert that any investigation into her citizenship or otherwise is a baseless pursuit by the President against his political opponents.

"For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation," she wrote on X.

"I will not be silenced."

Besides, if it's proven she made false statements that affect her citizenship or her finances, she can continue to feign ignorance and simply "correct" the record.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin suggested the case is more than just political gossip.

“Here’s what I want to make sure we do: if we actually move a case forward, it’s not a political case, it’s an actual case, because they did things wrong,” he said. “If you lied about certain things about your application. There’s no expiration to that. If we can prove it – that you shouldn’t have been here in the first place – we’ll deport you.”

Credit: redstate.com 

 

A Familiar Face Is Reportedly Trying to Help AZ Republicans

They virtually cast her out, so former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) is doing what she can to stop her party's crazy members from taking over. Sinema, along with Joe Manchin, helped block Democrats’ attempts to nuke the filibuster.

 

Both saw the writing on the wall and left public life, though Sinema has dealt with the fallout from having an improper relationship with her former bodyguard, who was married. That’s for another time. For now, Sinema is reportedly working behind the scenes to help Arizona Republicans in 2026, specifically former NFL kicker Jay Feely. Why? Well, she personally likes him and thinks he's the best person to navigate the state's water problem (via Axios):

Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) has told business and political leaders in Arizona that she chose to vote in the Republican primary — for House candidate Jay Feely, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Sinema was a Democrat less than four years ago. Now she's quietly promoting a Republican during a cycle when the GOP is on the defensive.

Sinema still has sway in Arizona. And she lives and votes in one of the most competitive House districts — AZ-01, an open seat this cycle.

Zoom in: In multiple casual meetings over the past month, Sinema has told people she has gotten to know Feely and his wife and likes him, describing him as "commonsense" and a "fiscal conservative," two sources who were present when Sinema made the comments told Axios.

Sinema has indicated she sees Feely as the best person to help handle Arizona's water crisis, including cutbacks to the state's share of the Colorado River, one source said.

Sinema has also discussed her decision to vote in the GOP primary in these conversations —and indicated she is likely to vote for him in November as well.

These were casual conversations over the past month with groups of business and political leaders and allies.

We’ll see what happens. 

 Credit: townhall.com

Why Scott Bessent Gave Bank of America the Belt This Week

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent isn’t playing around: financial institutions that fail to enforce clear violations will be penalized. He did so, slapping Bank of America with a $1.2 billion fine for failing to follow anti-money laundering provisions and sanctions laws. It’s a massive fine, the third-largest in history (via CNBC) [emphasis mine]:

“Today’s actions send a clear message that even the biggest financial institutions are not above the law,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

As the second-largest bank in the country, Bank of America has more than 70 million clients and processes about $4.5 trillion in payments for individual customers every year.

[…]

The Treasury Department said Bank of America “admits that it willfully violated” the Bank Secrecy Act and “failed to maintain” an anti-money laundering program that met minimum requirements under the law. The bank also admitted having failed to file mandatory Suspicious Activity Reports.

“Bank of America failed to timely report to FinCEN over $5 billion dollars in suspicious transactions, with over $1 billion of this activity implicating national security-related and other priority illicit finance risks, including suspicious transactions indicative of Chinese Money Laundering Networks, fraud, and potential trade-based money laundering with a substantial nexus to the southwest border,” the Treasury Department said in a statement.

FinCEN is the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which combats money laundering, illicit financial activities and terrorist financing networks around the world.

“Financial crime compliance is serious, and we are responsible for getting it right,” Bank of America said in a statement to NBC News.

“We have invested billions of dollars in technology and dedicated thousands of employees to combat financial crime, and our team is far along with and committed to completing the work required to address the issues raised by our regulators.”

“We will continue to support federal and local law enforcement across thousands of investigations and report hundreds of thousands of suspicious activity reports each year.”

In addition to the FinCEN violations, the Treasury Department said Bank of America is also settling “its potential civil liability for 475 apparent violations of multiple sanctions programs” with the Office of Foreign Assets Control, which oversees sprawling U.S. sanctions.

The company “processed millions of dollars in payments in apparent violation of sanctions programs targeting Russia, Belarus, Iran, Burma, Somalia, narcotics, and global terrorism,” the Treasury Department said.

Yeah, you deserve to pay a hefty vig for that nonsense, fellas. 

Credit: https://townhall.com/ 

 

President Trump Pardons Men Onstage, Promises $160M Alaska Broadband

President Trump turned a campaign stop in Wasilla, Alaska into more than a stump speech. He handed out pardons onstage, announced a big broadband pledge for the state, and used the mic to spotlight energy and military support his administration says it has secured. The rally was aimed squarely at helping Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Nick Begich III in the midterms, and it delivered moments that reporters could not ignore.

Pardons Signed Onstage Steal the Show

In plain view of the crowd, President Trump signed pardons for two Alaska men tied to Clean Air Act convictions. The president called the clemency “unconditional” and brought the men onto the stage. The pardons broke the usual Washington routine and made clear messaging matters: a show of mercy and a promise that the administration will stand up for small businesses and workers — even against bureaucratic overreach.

Who got the pardons and why it matters

The men had pleaded guilty in 2022 over modifications to diesel equipment that federal prosecutors said violated monitoring rules. Critics will rush to call this political theater. Fair enough — but theater that restores livelihoods and clears records for local mechanics is still action. If the Justice Department’s public database takes time to update, that’s a paperwork problem, not a moral one.

Broadband, Energy and Real Promises for Alaska

FCC Chair Brendan Carr joined the stage to announce a planned FCC vote to invest roughly $160–$162 million in expanding high‑speed internet in Alaska. That kind of money means homes and businesses in remote communities could finally get reliable service. The president also touted energy projects and military facility upgrades, pointing to negotiations and potential foreign investments the administration says will help Alaska’s economy. Some of those investment claims need final paperwork, but the focus was clear: bring infrastructure, jobs and security to the state.

Midterm Stakes and a Simple Question for Voters

This rally was not a sightseeing trip. It was a hard push to boost turnout under Alaska’s unique election rules and protect a GOP Senate seat that matters to the national map. Voters should ask whether they prefer flash or results. Tonight’s event had both — a headline-making pardon and concrete federal dollars floated for broadband and base modernization. If you want tangible wins instead of endless promises, this was a campaign stop worth watching.

Credit: https://patriotpowerednetwork.com/ 

 

Federal Suit Targets Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s City-Owned Grocery Plan

 New York’s experiment with city-owned grocery stores just ran into a courtroom. A federal antitrust lawsuit has been filed to stop Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan to open taxpayer-funded supermarkets that promise a 30% discount on staples. The legal fight makes plain what many of us feared: when government tries to act like a business, someone — usually the taxpayer and the small business owner — gets squeezed.

The federal antitrust lawsuit that changed the debate

The National Supermarket Association and two neighborhood grocers sued the City of New York and the NYCEDC in federal court, asking a judge to pause the city’s procurement for operators. The complaint argues the program is predatory pricing dressed up as social policy. Plaintiffs say the city’s advantages — taxpayer capital, free or city-owned sites, and tax immunities — create an unfair rival that can undercut private stores forever.

Why this is not ordinary competition

Antitrust rules usually assume a business that prices below cost will later raise prices to make up losses. That’s the usual fear. But a city-funded store does not need to recoup losses from shoppers — taxpayers can cover them. The mayor promises a core basket of goods sold 30% below typical retail prices and $70 million in capital for five stores. That math changes the game. Small grocers run on tiny margins. They can’t outlast a government with a printing press and a political motive to appear helpful.

 

A Venezuelan warning: abundance doesn’t come from government stores

A Venezuelan political refugee’s memory fits here like a warning label. He remembers the joy of American grocery aisles — choice, abundance, competition. He also remembers what state-run stores did back home: empty shelves, rationing, and political control over food distribution. That hard lesson matters. When government owns and sets prices for groceries, accountability evaporates. Bureaucrats don’t go bankrupt; taxpayers do.

What happens next — and the better route forward

The plaintiffs asked the court to stop the city’s operator bid process while the case proceeds. If a judge freezes procurement, the plan stalls in its tracks. If not, the litigation will go on while the city moves ahead. Either way, New Yorkers should insist on smarter, less destructive solutions: cut red tape, offer targeted subsidies or grants to struggling independent grocers, and let private entrepreneurs compete — not be crushed by municipal competition. If the goal is lower grocery bills, help small businesses lower costs, don’t force taxpayers to underwrite permanent price wars and pretend that’s progress.

Credit: https://patriotpowerednetwork.com/ 

 

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Europe Vows to Maintain Russia Sanctions Despite Trump Deal

European leaders are standing by sanctions against Russia despite President Donald Trump’s agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease restrictions on Russian diesel shipments, setting up a growing policy clash between Washington and its European allies over the war in Ukraine.

The European Union on Monday adopted its largest round of sanctions listings since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, targeting 1,569 individuals and entities tied to Russia’s military-industrial complex.

The move came as Trump defended his diesel agreement with Putin, which the administration says could help ease fuel costs.

The new sanctions target 826 Russian companies and 743 individuals who serve as their chief executives, according to the Council of the European Union.

The companies supply components for Russian weapons systems, including missiles, drones, and aircraft.

More than half of the listings target the supply chain for ballistic missiles used in attacks on Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

"Today the EU adopted the largest round of sanctions listings since 2022," Kallas said in a statement.

"This is not the time to ease pressure on Moscow but to increase it," she said in her statement.

The new measures underscore the divide between Trump’s decision to ease certain restrictions on Russian fuel and Europe’s strategy of increasing economic pressure on Moscow to end the war.

"The U.S. is our biggest ally, but our message is clear: if we want to end this war, the only way we can do this is (by) putting more pressure on Russia," Kallas said Monday, according to Euronews.

Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee also described the Trump-Putin diesel deal as concerning, while saying the EU would continue its policy of pressuring Moscow.

"Our priority has to be to maintain that pressure, but also to maintain our channels with the U.S., because this is not going to be achievable without the support of the U.S.," McEntee said, according to Euronews.

 

EU Says It Made Position Clear Directly to US Officials

The European Commission said Monday it had already communicated its position directly to U.S. officials during peace talks in Miami on Friday, where representatives of the commission, Britain, France, Germany, Ukraine, and NATO took part.

Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho said the EU had reiterated its "full support and unwavering support to Ukraine" during the discussions with American counterparts.

"We have made our position very clear," Pinho said when asked about the diesel agreement, according to the transcript of the commission’s Monday briefing.

"We see it differently," she said, explaining that the EU has sanctions in place and is phasing out its dependence on Russian fossil fuels because of the costs associated with those imports.

Pinho said the Miami talks were intended to advance efforts toward a durable peace and that the EU would continue engaging with Washington to end the war.

However, she said the commission had not been informed by the U.S. side about the so-called energy ceasefire Trump announced over the weekend, according to reporting by Interfax-Ukraine.

The proposed pause in attacks on energy infrastructure also remained uncertain Monday.

Pinho said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had expressed readiness to participate, but the EU was still waiting for Russia to signal that it would do the same.

The commission said its sanctions remained in force and that additional measures against Russia were under discussion.

"The idea is to increase the pressure on Russia rather than release it," Pinho said.

She added that the EU was not only continuing to enforce its existing sanctions but was also preparing further restrictions.

The statements offered a direct indication of Europe’s position to Washington, even as the Trump administration pursues a separate agreement with Putin.

Trump Previously Pressed Europe on Diesel Supplies

The disagreement follows the Trump administration’s recent pressure campaign urging European allies to release emergency diesel reserves to help lower fuel prices.

Reuters reported Oct. 1 that the administration had warned France and Germany they could face a potential U.S. diesel export ban if they did not draw down their emergency inventories.

A U.S. official told Reuters that it was in Europe’s best interest to cooperate with Washington as the two sides pursued ways to increase refined-fuel supplies and lower consumer costs.

The administration had asked the EU to release 120 million barrels of diesel over six months, according to one source cited by Reuters.

European governments faced a difficult choice between releasing reserves to help ease prices and preserving supplies in case the energy crisis worsened, particularly as the conflict involving Iran continued to disrupt global energy markets.

Trump subsequently announced his agreement with Putin to bring additional Russian diesel into the market.

Under the arrangement Trump announced, Russia would supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel immediately, another 500,000 tons in November and an additional 1 million tons afterward, according to Reuters.

Washington lifted certain sanctions restrictions to facilitate Russian diesel transactions through April 2027.

The arrangement has drawn criticism from Ukrainian officials and some U.S. lawmakers, who argue that easing restrictions could benefit Moscow while the war continues.

Reuters reported Monday that the initial Russian supply would be relatively small compared with U.S. diesel consumption, and that questions remained about available shipping capacity and the condition of Russian refineries.

Europe Urges More Pressure on Moscow

Kallas urged the White House to implement a sanctions and tariffs package associated with the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., saying it could increase pressure on Moscow to end the conflict.

"If they would enact the Graham bill, we could really put the pressure so that Russia will finish this war," Kallas said, according to Euronews.

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said she regretted the diesel agreement and hoped it would not take effect.

She encouraged European countries to use frozen Russian assets to increase military and financial support for Ukraine while maintaining economic pressure on Moscow.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys also criticized the deal, saying it would not meaningfully lower fuel prices or strengthen unity between the United States and Europe.

The European Commission said it remained committed to working with Washington toward a lasting peace, while maintaining its sanctions policy.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also reaffirmed her support for Zelenskyy following a telephone call with the Ukrainian leader over the weekend, Pinho said.

The commission said support for Ukraine would remain central to discussions at this week’s European Council meeting.

Trump Defends Agreement

Trump defended the agreement Monday amid criticism from lawmakers in both parties over the decision to allow Russian diesel imports.

"I made the right choice for the American People," Trump wrote on Truth Social, according to Reuters.

Trump also pointed to European purchases of Russian energy as he defended his decision, arguing that his administration was acting in the interests of Americans facing higher fuel costs.

The White House has promoted the diesel agreement as part of Trump’s effort to address fuel affordability, with the administration citing disruptions to global supplies and limited refining capacity as factors behind rising prices.

As of Monday, no separate White House statement directly responding to the EU’s new sanctions package or its renewed pledge to maintain pressure on Russia had been identified in the available reporting.

The European Commission, meanwhile, said it was standing by its restrictions and considering further sanctions against Moscow.

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