US President Donald Trump has called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop strikes on Russian oil and diesel infrastructure, arguing that the attacks are contributing to fuel shortages and negatively affecting global markets.

 

Trump said on September 13 that he had asked Zelenskyy not to strike facilities involved in diesel fuel production in Russia. According to the US president, Ukraine could target other facilities, but attacks on fuel infrastructure should stop because they are contributing to diesel shortages and creating problems beyond the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

“Don’t hit diesel fuel, because it hurts the whole world”, Trump told reporters during his visit to Ireland.

The US president linked the current fuel shortage primarily to the consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war, rejecting attempts to attribute the situation solely to instability in the Middle East.

The statement came amid Ukraine’s ongoing campaign of long-range strikes against Russia’s oil refining infrastructure. In recent months, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly targeted oil refineries and other facilities within Russia’s fuel and energy sector. These strikes have contributed to lower fuel production and shortages of gasoline in several Russian regions.

It should be noted that Ukraine considers Russian oil infrastructure a legitimate military target, as the oil and gas sector provides a significant share of Russia’s export revenues and, consequently, its financial capacity to continue the war. Kyiv has also pointed to continued Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure as justification for its retaliatory attacks.

Trump’s call came amid another wave of strikes. During the night of September 13, Ukrainian authorities reported an attack on an oil refining facility near Slavyansk-on-Kuban in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai. Russian regional authorities reported damage to an industrial facility and an oil pipeline, as well as a fire.

Against this backdrop, Washington’s position could become an additional source of pressure on Kyiv. At the same time, the United States is seeking to preserve room for a diplomatic settlement of the conflict. Ukrainian officials have previously said that preparations were underway for a possible resumption of trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States in October.

 

Trump’s statement highlights a new contradiction between Kyiv’s military strategy and Washington’s energy interests. Ukraine seeks to limit Russia’s ability to supply its war effort with fuel as much as possible, while the United States is facing rising global diesel prices and the risk of further reductions in global fuel supplies.

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13.09.2026 07:21