Trump urges Zelenskyy to stop strikes on Russian diesel infrastructure as prices rise

United States President Donald Trump has urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop strikes on Russian diesel infrastructure, saying the attacks are contributing to a global fuel shortage and higher prices. He made the comments on Sunday while speaking to reporters during a trip to the Republic of Ireland. Trump said there were "plenty of other targets" and added: "Don't hit diesel fuel.

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That's hurting the world." The remarks come amid a wave of long-range Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries in recent months. According to the supplied report, those strikes have reduced fuel production in Russia and triggered petrol shortages across the country. Ukraine says Russian energy facilities are legitimate military targets because they help fund and sustain Moscow's more than four-year invasion of its neighbour.

The comments from Trump directly linked the fuel disruption to the war in Ukraine rather than to tensions in the Middle East. The price of diesel in the United States reached an all-time high on Friday, with the national average hitting $6.06 a gallon, or $1.60 per litre, according to the American Automobile Association. That was up from $3.71 a gallon a year earlier.

Diesel is a key transport fuel used by ships, trains and trucks, so price rises can feed through into the cost of moving goods and, eventually, consumer prices. The report said fuel costs are weighing on Americans as they prepare to vote in midterm elections in November. The issue has wider significance because diesel shortages and refinery damage can affect both military logistics and civilian supply chains.

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Russia's oil sector remains central to the country's economy and to the financing of the war, while Ukraine has increasingly targeted energy infrastructure as part of its campaign. At the same time, global oil markets have been unsettled by the war in Ukraine and by separate conflict-related disruptions in the Middle East, adding pressure to already elevated energy prices. The supplied report also said crude oil prices crossed $100 per barrel last week for the first time since July, with Brent crude rising as high as $109 at one point.

It said around one-fifth of the world's oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz in peacetime, underlining how sensitive global fuel markets are to conflict-related disruption. The diesel price spike therefore sits within a broader period of volatility in energy markets, with consumers and governments both facing higher costs. What remains unclear is whether Trump's comments will lead to any change in Ukraine's targeting policy or in US diplomatic pressure on Kyiv.

The report does not say that any new agreement has been reached, and it is not clear how Ukraine will respond publicly. The next developments to watch are whether further strikes continue against Russian energy infrastructure and whether fuel prices remain elevated in the United States and elsewhere.

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