TRUMP CALLS ON UKRAINE TO STOP STRIKING RUSSIAN DIESEL INFRASTRUCTURE
September 13, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump has called on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop Ukrainian strikes against Russian refineries and other infrastructure involved in producing diesel fuel.
“Mr. Zelenskyy has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump told reporters in Ireland. “There are plenty of other targets. Don’t hit diesel fuel. That’s hurting the world.”
Trump said the shortage was being caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine rather than events in the Middle East. That explanation is incomplete. The International Energy Agency says reduced diesel exports from the Gulf following the war involving Iran have combined with disruptions to Russia’s refining system to tighten global supplies.
Ukrainian attacks have nevertheless had a measurable effect. Repeated strikes have reduced Russian refining capacity, contributed to domestic fuel shortages and forced Moscow to restrict diesel exports. This is precisely why Russia’s oil infrastructure has become one of Ukraine’s principal long-range target sets.
Kyiv maintains that Russian refineries are legitimate military targets because they produce fuel for Russian forces and support the energy revenues financing Moscow’s invasion. Russia continues striking Ukraine’s power grid, fuel infrastructure and other civilian systems, including during its latest attacks across the country.
In the remarks reported by Reuters and the Associated Press, Trump did not make a corresponding demand for Russia to stop attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure. His request would therefore place limits on Ukraine’s campaign against a critical part of Russia’s wartime economy without establishing a reciprocal restriction on Moscow.
The statement marks a clear disagreement between Washington and Kyiv over how Ukraine should use its long-range capabilities. For Ukraine, refinery strikes are intended to reduce Russia’s military mobility, constrain its export income and bring the economic cost of the invasion back inside Russia.