President Donald Trump said Sunday he has personally urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop striking Russian diesel refineries, arguing the attacks are contributing to fuel shortages that reach beyond the war zone.
Trump made the comments while attending the Irish Open at his golf club in Doonbeg, Ireland, after a reporter asked whether he had spoken with Zelenskyy following a recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump told reporters.
The president said Ukraine was free to continue striking other targets inside Russia, just not diesel infrastructure.
“Let him go after targets, but not diesel fuel because he’s causing a shortage of diesel,” Trump said. “This isn’t done by the Middle East. This is done by what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine.”
Trump confirmed he had already raised the matter directly with Zelenskyy.
“So we spoke to Mr. Zelensky about it. There are plenty of other targets,” Trump said. “Don’t hit diesel fuel because that’s hurting the world. We don’t want him to hit diesel fuel. He’s hitting diesel refineries.”
Ukraine has spent months using long-range strikes to hit Russia’s oil and gas infrastructure, an effort to choke off revenue and fuel supplies that support Moscow’s war effort more than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Those strikes have pushed Russia to ration diesel in some regions and ban diesel exports in July. The resulting disruption has combined with other pressures, including reduced oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, to strain global diesel supplies. In the United States, diesel prices topped an average of $6 per gallon on Friday, a record high.
The diplomatic exchange comes amid continued fighting on both sides. Russia has escalated aerial attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks, including strikes with ballistic missiles and drones, while Ukraine has kept up its own strikes inside Russian territory. Russian and Ukrainian officials both reported large-scale drone attacks overnight into Sunday, with casualties on both sides.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login