U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure used to produce and distribute diesel, saying the strikes are contributing to a global shortage. His appeal came after average U.S. diesel prices rose past $6 a gallon to a record on Friday, with fuel costs weighing on Americans ahead of the November midterm elections.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Irish Open at his Doonbeg golf club, Trump said he had discussed the issue with Zelenskyy. “Mr. Zelenskyy has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump told reporters, adding that Ukraine had “plenty of other targets” and that attacks on diesel infrastructure were “hurting the world.”
Ukraine has targeted Russia’s oil and gas industry with long-range strikes for months. The attacks have prompted fuel rationing across Russia, while Moscow banned diesel exports in July, removing additional supplies from a tight global market. Kyiv says the industry both finances and directly fuels Russia’s more than four-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
The global supply pressure also followed the war on Iran, which curtailed oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. The International Energy Agency said in a report published Friday that net exports of diesel and gasoil from Gulf countries in August were “just over a quarter” of their level before that war began in February. The agency said intensified Ukrainian attacks had disrupted Russia’s refining system and brought product exports close to a halt, compounding the losses.
According to the IEA, combined net exports of diesel and gasoil from the Gulf and Russia accounted for almost 45% of global seaborne trade in February. The agency’s figures indicate that disruptions affecting both sources have removed substantial volumes from the international market, though Trump specifically urged Ukraine to stop striking Russian diesel facilities.
Russia and Ukraine also exchanged large-scale drone attacks overnight into Sunday. Local officials said two people were killed and 14 wounded near an oil and industrial hub in Russia’s Tatarstan. Ukrainian authorities reported Russian drones striking the Black Sea port of Odesa and starting a fire near a border crossing with Poland, as Moscow continued an intensified air campaign that has included attacks on Ukraine’s power grid ahead of winter.