Trump urges Zelensky to stop striking Russian diesel facilities as midterms loom

With midterm elections approaching and a sharp spike in diesel prices emerging as a major political liability, US President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to stop attacking Russian diesel and oil refining facilities.

According to the Associated Press and other outlets, Trump, who is visiting Ireland, told reporters Sunday (local time) that Volodymyr Zelensky must take one specific action. Asked whether he had spoken with the Ukrainian president after a recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said, "Zelensky has to do one thing — he has to stop attacking the diesel facilities in Russia."

"We talked to President Zelensky about this," Trump said. "Don't hit the diesel fuel — there are plenty of other targets."

He added that the strikes were "hurting the whole world," arguing that Ukraine's attacks on Russian energy infrastructure were driving a global diesel shortage and pushing prices higher.

Trump also insisted the root cause of the recent diesel shortage lay not in the Middle East but in the war between Russia and Ukraine. "It's not happening because of the Middle East — it's happening because of what's going on between Russia and Ukraine," he said.

He reiterated his demand, saying, "We don't want him attacking diesel fuel facilities," and called on Ukraine to stop destroying Russia's diesel-related infrastructure.

Diesel prices in the United States, closely tied to everyday living costs, have recently surged to an all-time high, topping $6 per gallon. The spike is widely attributed to tightening global supply caused by the Middle East conflict and significant damage to Russian refining capacity from Ukrainian drone strikes — Russia being one of the world's leading diesel exporters.

More than four and a half years into the war, Ukraine has concluded that Russian energy facilities serve as a critical source of war funding. Kyiv has accordingly stepped up drone and missile strikes deep inside Russian territory, hitting oil refineries and other energy infrastructure hundreds or even thousands of kilometers from the front lines.

Russia has responded in kind, unleashing next-generation jet-propelled drones and ballistic missiles on Ukraine, with civilian casualties mounting as a result.