Trump asks Zelenskyy to stop refinery strikes as diesel prices hit record

Kyiv,UPDATED: Sep 14, 2026 02:04 IST

US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries and other diesel infrastructure, saying the attacks were worsening a global shortage. His remarks came after average diesel prices in the US crossed USD 6 a gallon on Friday, setting a record.

Ukraine has for months targeted Russia's oil and gas sector with long-range strikes, while saying the industry helps fund and fuel Moscow's invasion. At the same time, Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine, with both sides reporting deaths, injuries and damage after overnight drone strikes.

Trump made the appeal when asked by a reporter whether he had spoken with Zelenskyy after his recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Irish Open at his Doonbeg golf club, Trump said, "Mr Zelenskyy has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia."

He added, "We spoke to Mr Zelenskyy about it. There are plenty of other targets. Don't hit diesel fuel, because that's hurting, that's hurting the world." Fuel prices are weighing on Americans ahead of the mid-term elections in November.

The pressure on supplies has built up over several months. Ukrainian strikes have led to fuel rationing in parts of Russia and pushed Moscow to ban diesel exports in July, tightening an already strained global market. The crunch has also deepened after the war on Iran disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to an Energy Agency report published on Friday, net exports of diesel and similar fuels from the Gulf countries in August were "just over a quarter" of their level before the war on Iran began in February. The IEA said, "Disruptions to Russia's refining system and a near-halt to product exports following intensified Ukrainian attacks have compounded these losses," adding that in February, combined net exports from the Gulf and Russia accounted for almost 45 per cent of global seaborne trade in these fuels.

Russia has also intensified its air campaign against Ukraine in recent weeks, using ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones to get through Ukrainian defences. Ukrainian officials say Moscow has targeted the country's power grid ahead of winter in an effort to demoralise civilians.

Overnight into Sunday, local officials in Russia said two people were killed and 14 were wounded near an oil and industrial hub in Tatarstan. Ukrainian authorities, meanwhile, reported Russian drone strikes on the Black Sea port of Odesa and a fire near a border crossing with Poland.

The two deaths in Russia were reported in Nizhnekamsk, where a drone hit a tree near a parked car, according to the office of Tatarstan regional head Rustam Minnikhanov. Nizhnekamsk has a major cluster of oil refineries and industrial plants. Mayor Radmir Belyaev said a fire broke out at an unspecified "enterprise".

Ukraine also said it hit a major oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban in Russia's Krasnodar region near Crimea. The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said its drones struck a key oil processing unit and the refinery's tank farm overnight. Krasnodar authorities said the strike on "an enterprise" injured three people and damaged an oil pipeline. Russia's defence ministry said its forces shot down 389 Ukrainian drones during the night.

In Ukraine, at least nine people were injured in what officials called a massive night-time attack on Odesa, according to Serhii Lysak of the city's military administration. Odesa, Ukraine's main Black Sea port hub, has faced repeated drone and missile strikes, with Kyiv accusing Moscow of trying to choke off its exports.

Ukrainian officials also said a Russian drone attack on Saturday hit a residential high-rise in Odesa, killing two people and injuring 26 others. In western Ukraine, overnight strikes caused no immediate reports of casualties, though one drone set a gas station on fire near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing with Poland, according to Ukraine's top diplomat and a local customs spokesperson.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X, "This is Putin's terror knocking directly on the doors of the EU and NATO. Russian barbarians are at your gate, dear partners." Border crossings with Poland are a key route for military and humanitarian aid from Western allies.

Valentyna Chernysh, spokesperson for the Volyn Customs Office, said the Yahodyn crossing remained intact and no one was hurt. Earlier in the week, two people were killed when Russian drones hit the Starokozache border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova. A day later, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a "direct threat" to a Polish-Ukrainian crossing point had been avoided through cooperation between Warsaw and Kyiv.

Ukraine's air force said its air defences shot down or suppressed 409 of the 453 Russian drones launched overnight, including a newer jet-powered version that is faster and harder to intercept. The latest exchange underlined both the widening pressure on global fuel supplies and the continued intensity of the war, as Russia and Ukraine kept up strikes on energy, industrial and civilian targets.

With PTI Inputs

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