President Donald Trump on Sunday said he called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to ask him to “stop knocking out diesel fuel” targets in Russia, saying the attacks were contributing to a global shortage of the fuel.
“Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel, let them go after targets but not diesel fuel, because he’s causing a shortage of diesel,” Trump said, adding that there were “plenty other targets.”
“This isn’t done by the Middle East, this is done by what’s happening in Russia and Ukraine,” he told reporters while traveling in Ireland.
Trump made his comments after the U.S. average price for diesel hit an all-time high of $6 per gallon on Friday, reinforcing concerns about the cost of living less than two months before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Anxiety about the economy and inflation are driving down Trump’s poll numbers and those of his Republican allies in Congress at a time when Democrats are seeking to flip the GOP majorities in the House and Senate.
Diesel is used for many freight delivery networks, as well as on farms, affecting the price of everyday goods including groceries and shipping services.
The recent diesel price jump came as Iranian-backed proxies tightened their grip on key waterways and infrastructure that let the region export oil.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels opened new fronts against Saudi Arabia and on Friday claimed territorial victories following a large-scale military operation aimed at controlling the Bab al-Mandab Strait entrance to the Red Sea. That claim means Iran and its proxies have the ability to threaten shipments through two key checkpoints.
Also Friday, Iraqi militants allied with Iran used drones to hit a key Saudi Arabian pipeline to the Red Sea, which had been used to transport oil rerouted around the blocked Strait of Hormuz, according to the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russia’s vital oil sector, including strikes Sunday on two major oil refineries in Krasnodar and Tatarstan, the Ukrainian General Staff said. The campaign against oil facilities has caused fuel shortages in Russia, one of the world’s leading oil-producing countries, and has disrupted global supplies.
Earlier this month, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in a visit that aimed to revive long-stalled peace talks with Ukraine. Afterward, they went to Kyiv for diplomatic talks.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also blamed Ukraine for high global energy prices, saying early this month on Fox News that “because Ukraine has decided that they want to blow up Russian energy assets and refine products, so that is creating upward price pressure on a global basis.” He also added: “And then the conflict in Iran.”
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