Speaking to journalists during the Amgen Irish Open at his golf club in Dunbeg, Ireland, Trump said he had already discussed the issue with Zelensky. A reporter asked whether he had spoken with the Ukrainian president since his recent conversation with Vladimir Putin.
"Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop destroying diesel fuel in Russia. Let him attack targets, but not diesel fuel, because he is creating a shortage of it," Trump said. The Moscow Times RU reported his remarks differently: that the strikes provoke fuel shortages not only in Russia but worldwide, and stem not from the situation in the Middle East but from the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine has systematically attacked Russian oil refining infrastructure in recent months. In August it carried out at least 21 strikes on Russian refineries — a record number in a single month since the start of the war, according to a Bloomberg count. Since the start of 2026, Ukrainian forces have attacked Russian oil plants more than 70 times, The Moscow Times RU reported.
Oil refining in Russia has fallen to roughly 3.8 million barrels per day — close to its lowest level in more than 20 years. Diesel output in the first three weeks of August dropped by more than 23%. According to The Moscow Times RU, refining in the country has sunk to its lowest level since 2002.
Amid the shortage, Russia fully banned diesel exports on July 8, and in late August extended restrictions for producers until September 30. The Moscow Times RU wrote that the export ban is in effect until January 31, 2027. In July, diesel supplies from Belarus to Russia nearly doubled compared with June, reaching a record 162,000 tons. Russia has also begun buying petroleum products from other countries.
Ukrainian forces have begun deliberately targeting the refinery equipment that is hardest to replace — primary refining units, catalyst blocks and compressors — in order to lengthen plant repair times.
A diesel shortage is simultaneously being seen on the global market. In early September, the average price of diesel in the United States hit a historic nominal high of about $1.55 per liter, against $0.99 before the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran in late February. The Associated Press linked the rise primarily to disrupted oil and petroleum product supplies from the Middle East, including restrictions on tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
By September 11, the average U.S. diesel price exceeded $6 per gallon for the first time, according to GasBuddy. Since the start of the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran, prices for the fuel have risen by nearly 60%. Much of this was due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which provided roughly 20% of global oil supplies.
According to The Moscow Times RU, the sharp rise in diesel prices poses a major problem for Republicans ahead of the midterm congressional elections. Russia remains one of the world's largest diesel exporters, with 11% of the market. The United States itself banned imports of oil and petroleum products from Russia after the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, so Russian supplies affect the U.S. market indirectly — through the overall global balance of petroleum products.