U.S. President Donald Trump's agreement with Russia on diesel trade and decision to suspend and exempt sanctions have become a headache for Republican candidates running in the midterm elections, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on October 18 (local time).

According to the WSJ, Republican politicians are being grilled in media interviews and voter town halls with questions such as, "Why adopt an appeasement policy toward Russian President Vladimir Putin right now?"

With cost-of-living burdens, including rising energy prices, emerging as a core issue in these midterm elections, the difficulties for Republican candidates have intensified as diesel prices continue to soar.

A new political obstacle has emerged before Republican politicians, who are not only uncomfortable with the easing of sanctions against Russia, but also have yet to see the anticipated economic benefits, at least for now.

The U.S. Congress passed the Graham Act last month, which includes provisions to tighten sanctions on countries purchasing Russian crude oil and gas.

President Trump signed the bill into law on September 18, but recently suspended the implementation of the anti-Russia sanction provisions under the law.

The WSJ highlighted examples of Republican candidates who are not defending President Trump's successive pro-Russia decisions, but are instead publicly questioning them.

All of the highlighted cases involved individuals running neck-and-neck with Democratic candidates in opinion polls.

Running in Michigan and competing against Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers made clear his opposition to Trump's decision during an appearance on CNN on October 18.

Noting that he is not currently an incumbent lawmaker, he said, "I wouldn't have taken that position," and added, "If I had a vote, I would have voted in favor of the sanctions bill. If the president has a better plan to lower diesel prices, I will support it. However, I am somewhat skeptical about whether this measure will work the way the administration hopes."

He added, "I don't think we should yield an inch to Putin."

Dan Sullivan, a Republican running for his third consecutive term in the U.S. Senate from Alaska, stated on October 17 that he would advise President Trump not to purchase Russian diesel.

Instead, Sullivan explained that efforts to expand energy production in Alaska and strengthen the U.S. military must continue, calling them "hard-power tools that Putin understands best."

He is in a tight race in opinion polls against his Democratic challenger, Mary Peltola.

Ashley Hinson, a Republican running for the U.S. Senate in Iowa, said at a debate last week, "We need to lower U.S. gasoline prices. We need to lower diesel prices, too. But I don't think we need to do business with Russia to do that."

Hinson is locked in a tight poll battle with Democratic candidate Josh Turek.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican who has rarely broken from Trump's stance, hinted at plans to hold further discussions with the White House regarding President Trump's decision to grant sanctions waivers.

Speaking on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures, Johnson said, "Congress voted on this matter by overwhelming margins a few weeks ago. We know that Putin cannot be trusted."

He added, "However, I told White House staff that we need to discuss this issue and carefully review any unintended consequences that could arise. So I know the president is evaluating this, as he does on all other matters."

Meanwhile, some Republican politicians are defending President Trump's actions.

U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK) explained on NBC's Meet the Press that the president is "trying to strike a delicate balance to put pressure on Russia while also helping the American people," describing it as an effort to bring Russia to the negotiating table while maintaining support for Ukraine.

Senator Lankford has roughly two years left in his term and is not running in these midterm elections, continuing to serve in office.

Julian Zelizer, a professor at Princeton University, told the WSJ that Trump's diesel diplomacy risks backfiring.

He noted that it could create the impression that the White House has neither a viable plan to lower fuel costs nor an effective foreign policy to calm the fighting in Ukraine.

He pointed out that the dilemma for many Republican politicians running in these midterms is that President Trump, the leader of their party, demands their loyalty while simultaneously being "the single biggest factor causing their electoral vulnerability."