Trump said on Sunday that he had already spoken directly with Zelenskyy about the issue and wanted Ukraine to select other targets inside Russia. Speaking during a visit to Ireland, he said Ukrainian attacks were reducing Russian diesel supplies and “hurting the world”.
“Mr Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump told reporters. “Let him go after targets, but not diesel fuel, because he’s causing a shortage of diesel.”
The intervention comes as diesel prices have become a mounting economic concern in the United States. The national average retail price moved above $6 a gallon last week for the first time, while tight inventories and unusually strong refining margins have underlined pressure across the fuel market.
Ukraine has intensified long-range drone strikes against Russian oil installations, describing refineries and associated infrastructure as legitimate military targets because they supply fuel to Moscow’s armed forces and generate revenue for the Kremlin. Ukraine’s armed forces said its units struck the Slavyansky refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region and confirmed damage at the Saratov refinery during attacks overnight into Sunday.
The strikes have disrupted Russian fuel production and forced Moscow to tighten controls over exports. Russia imposed restrictions on diesel exports during the summer as domestic shortages spread, while pressure on refineries has reduced the volume of products available to international buyers.
Trump rejected suggestions that Middle East disruption was chiefly responsible for the diesel squeeze, telling reporters that the shortage was being driven by the Russia-Ukraine war. His assessment, however, differs from the broader picture described by energy agencies and industry executives, who have pointed to simultaneous losses of refining and export capacity in Russia and the Gulf.
Global fuel markets have been strained by the conflict involving Iran and disruptions to Gulf oil flows, while Ukrainian attacks have reduced Russian refinery output. Industry executives said this month that diesel supplies could remain tight through the northern hemisphere winter, with several million barrels a day of expected product supply unavailable from Russia and the Middle East.
The International Energy Agency has also warned that reduced Gulf flows are worsening the global oil supply deficit. The combined effect has left refiners outside the affected regions running hard, but available processing capacity has struggled to compensate fully for missing exports.
Russia remains one of the world’s exporters of refined petroleum products, so prolonged refinery outages can affect markets beyond its borders even when crude oil remains available. Traders have responded to tighter product supply by bidding up diesel refining margins, increasing costs for import-dependent economies and reinforcing concern that fuel constraints may persist despite efforts to redirect cargoes.
Diesel is particularly important to freight transport, farming, construction and industrial activity, making sustained price increases capable of feeding through quickly into distribution and production costs. Higher diesel prices have therefore added to inflation concerns in the United States ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Trump’s comments place Washington at odds with a central element of Kyiv’s strategy for imposing economic and logistical costs on Russia. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly argued that attacks on refineries weaken Moscow’s ability to sustain its military campaign, while Russia has accused Ukraine of targeting civilian energy infrastructure.
The dispute also comes as Russian authorities acknowledge continuing pressure on domestic fuel supplies. President Vladimir Putin said in June that shortages were affecting motorists and businesses in parts of the country and ordered officials to reduce the impact of Ukrainian attacks on oil installations. Moscow has since adjusted export policy and sought additional fuel supplies as refinery outages accumulated.
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