Trump Urges Ukraine To Halt Strikes On Russian Diesel Fuel, Warns Of Global Shortage

US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop targeting Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure involved in producing and distributing diesel, warning that the strikes were worsening a global fuel shortage.

Trump’s comments came after average US diesel prices hit a record above $6 a gallon on Friday, adding to pressure on American consumers ahead of the November midterm elections.

Ukraine has for months carried out long-range strikes against Russia’s oil and gas sector, disrupting fuel supplies and prompting Moscow to impose fuel rationing and halt diesel exports in July. The move removed additional supplies from an already tight global market.

The fuel crunch has also been intensified by disruptions to oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz following the war involving Iran.

Asked whether he had spoken with Zelensky after his recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump called on the Ukrainian leader to stop attacks on Russia’s diesel infrastructure.

“Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump told reporters on the sidelines of the Irish Open at his Doonbeg golf club.

“We spoke to Mr. Zelensky about it. There are plenty of other targets. Don’t hit diesel fuel, because that’s hurting, that’s hurting the world,” Trump said.

Gulf Diesel Exports Plunge Since Iran War

The International Energy Agency said in a report published Friday that net exports of diesel and gasoil from Gulf countries in August were only “just over a quarter” of their level before the war involving Iran began in February.

“Disruptions to Russia’s refining system and a near-halt to product exports following intensified Ukrainian attacks have compounded these losses,” the IEA said.

The agency noted that combined net diesel and gasoil exports from the Gulf and Russia accounted for almost 45% of global seaborne trade in February.

Ukraine argues that Russia’s oil industry provides crucial funding for Moscow’s more than four-year-old invasion and directly supports its war effort.

Russia, meanwhile, has intensified its air campaign against Ukraine in recent weeks, using ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones against targets including the country’s power infrastructure ahead of winter. Ukrainian officials have accused Moscow of seeking to damage critical infrastructure and demoralise civilians.

Ukraine Strikes Russian Oil Facilities

Russia and Ukraine exchanged large-scale drone strikes overnight into Sunday, with casualties reported on both sides.

Two people were killed and 14 wounded near an oil and industrial hub in Russia’s Tatarstan, according to local officials. The deaths occurred in Nizhnekamsk after a drone struck a tree near a parked car, according to the office of regional head Rustam Minnikhanov.

Nizhnekamsk is home to major oil refineries and other industrial facilities. Mayor Radmir Belyaev said a fire broke out at an unspecified enterprise.

Ukraine also claimed to have struck a major oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban in Russia’s Krasnodar region, near Crimea. Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence Directorate said drones hit a key oil-processing unit and the refinery’s tank farm overnight.

Krasnodar authorities said an attack on an unspecified enterprise in Slavyansk-on-Kuban injured three people and damaged an oil pipeline.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces shot down 389 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Russian Strikes Hit Odesa And Western Ukraine

In Ukraine, at least nine people were injured in a “massive” Russian nighttime attack on Odesa, according to Serhii Lysak of the city’s military administration.

Odesa, Ukraine’s main Black Sea port hub, has faced repeated drone and missile attacks. Kyiv has accused Moscow of seeking to disrupt the country’s maritime exports.

A Russian drone struck a residential high-rise in Odesa on Saturday, killing two people and injuring 26, according to Ukrainian officials.

Russian strikes also targeted western Ukraine overnight, although no immediate casualties were reported. One drone set fire to a gas station near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing with Poland, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and a local customs spokesperson.

“This is Putin’s terror ‘knocking’ directly on the doors of the EU and NATO,” Sybiha wrote on X.

Ukraine’s border crossings with Poland serve as key routes for military and humanitarian aid from Western allies.

Valentyna Chernysh of the Volyn Customs Office said the Yahodyn crossing remained intact and that nobody was injured.

Earlier in the week, two people were killed when Russian drones struck the Starokozache border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk later said cooperation between Warsaw and Kyiv had helped avert a direct threat to a Polish-Ukrainian crossing.

Ukraine’s air force said its air defences shot down or suppressed 409 Russian drones overnight, including a newer jet-powered model that is faster and harder to intercept. It said Russia launched 453 drones in total.