Trump tells Zelensky to stop targeting Russian refiners as diesel soars amid Iran war

US President Donald Trump urged his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to stop targeting Russia’s diesel fuel in aerial attacks, claiming that it is “hurting the world,” as the war in Iran continues to spike global oil prices.

Ukraine has been pummeling Russian fuel infrastructure for months, severely reducing Moscow’s refining capacity and triggering widespread supply shortages. In response, Russia, the world’s second largest diesel exporter behind the US, has banned the foreign sale of its diesel.

“Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia…because he’s causing a shortage of diesel,” Trump said during an official visit to Ireland on Sunday.

Diesel, a crucial fuel that powers trucks, trains, tractors and boats, topped $6 a gallon in the US on Friday for the first time ever, according to AAA, as global oil prices surpassed $108 per barrel amid the war in the Middle East.

Supplies have also been constricted by conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, which previously carried about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, as the US and Iran battle for control of the vital waterway. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, the oil-rich kingdom’s key alternative route to export its oil via the Red Sea was halted on Friday, after an attack by drones launched from Iraq, further complicating matters.

But Trump said the rise in diesel prices wasn’t “done by the Middle East,” instead attributing it to “what’s happening in Russia and Ukraine.”

In August, Moscow exported about 150,000 barrels of diesel per day, 81% below its five-year average as the export ban took effect, according to Vortexa.

Ukraine, which has also had its energy infrastructure repeatedly targeted by Russia, claims refineries are a legitimate target to cut off funding to Moscow and reduce domestic support for the war.

Diesel costs have risen more than 55 percent since the start of the war with Iran, outpacing the 40% jump in gasoline prices. In fact, diesel is on track for its biggest annual percentage increase on record, according to a CNN review of AAA data.

While the price increase may be less visible to drivers, higher diesel prices tend to result in rising costs for businesses when are then offloaded to the consumer.

Beyond the skyrocketing cost of crude, part of the reason for the rising price of diesel is that refineries in the Middle East and Russia responsible for turning crude into fuel have been damaged in the wars.

“Refiners have already been maximizing the production of diesel. We simply can’t get any more diesel out of the system,” said Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates, told CNN last week.

China’s export restrictions have also contributed to rising prices.

Ukraine has hit Russian oil facilities more than 300 times since the war began in 2022, severely disrupting supply across the country and forcing gas stations to ration supply, according to a CNN analysis from July.

Hours before Trump’s remarks, Ukraine’s military said it had struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Tatarstan republic overnight into Sunday.

The military said it struck the TANECO refinery in the city of Nizhnekamsk, in an attack carried out alongside the Security Service of Ukraine and the Main Intelligence Directorate.

Tatarstan officials said two civilians were killed and others wounded in the Ukrainian attack.