President Trump said Ukraine’s attacks on
Russian oil refineries were “hurting the world,” amid a global energy shock driven
primarily by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
·
Trump's
appeal: US
President Donald Trump
on 13 September 2026
called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries and diesel-producing facilities.
·
Reason
cited: Trump
said Ukrainian strikes were contributing to a global diesel shortage and putting upward
pressure on energy prices.
·
Trump's
position: He
said Ukraine could continue targeting other military objectives but should avoid attacks on diesel fuel
infrastructure because the resulting supply disruption was
“hurting the world.”
·
Direct
communication: Trump
said he had spoken with
Zelensky about the refinery strikes.
·
US
diesel price: The
US national average for diesel reached $6.20
per gallon on 13 September, approximately 65% higher than before
the US-Israel attack on Iran on 28 February.
·
US
gasoline price:
Regular gasoline averaged $4.31
per gallon, about 45%
above its pre-war level.
·
Saudi
pipeline disruption:
Energy-supply concerns intensified after a critical Saudi oil pipeline was shut following a drone
attack from Iraqi territory.
·
Oil-price
impact: The
Saudi pipeline incident briefly pushed oil prices to around $110 per barrel on
Friday before easing to approximately $105.
·
Bessent's
assessment:
Treasury Secretary Scott
Bessent similarly blamed Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy
infrastructure, alongside the Iran conflict, for contributing to the current global energy shock.
·
Ukraine
confirms attacks:
Ukrainian forces confirmed attacks on oil
refineries inside Russia shortly before Trump's remarks.
·
Global
refining capacity under pressure:
Analysts and the International
Energy Agency (IEA) identify both the Middle East conflict and Russia–Ukraine
war as major factors stretching the global refining system.
·
IEA
warning: The
IEA said progress toward resolving both conflicts is increasingly important to
prevent further tightening
of energy markets and destruction of demand.
The
Russia–Ukraine war and the Iran/Middle East conflict are simultaneously
disrupting oil production, refining and transport. Trump's call for Ukraine to
avoid Russian diesel infrastructure highlights growing concern that further
refinery outages could intensify the global diesel shortage and push energy
prices even higher.
President
Trump on Sunday (13.09.2026) called on President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine to
end strikes on Russian oil refineries, blaming the attacks for a global diesel shortage.
“Mr.
Zelensky has to do one thing: He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,”
Mr. Trump told reporters from the sidelines of the Amgen Irish Open, which was held
at his golf course in Doonbeg, Ireland, over the weekend.
“Let
him go after targets — but not diesel fuel, because he’s causing a shortage of diesel,”
Mr. Trump said, adding that he had spoken with Mr. Zelensky about the strikes. “Don’t
hit diesel fuel because that’s hurting the world,” he said he told Mr. Zelensky.
Diesel
supplies have been hit particularly hard in recent months. The average price of
a gallon of diesel fuel in the United States continued to set records. It climbed
to $6.20 on Sunday, according to the AAA motor club, up nearly 65 percent since
the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. The national average price
for a gallon of regular gas, $4.31 on Sunday, has also risen sharply since the start
of the Iran war, by about 45 percent.
Concern
over diminishing energy supplies grew over the weekend after a critical oil pipeline
in Saudi Arabia was shut down on Friday, following a drone attack launched from
Iraqi territory. The news briefly pushed the price of oil to $110 a barrel on Friday
over heightened fears of widening clashes in the Middle East, before easing to about
$105 a barrel.
Mr.
Trump’s remarks echoed similar comments this month by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent,
who cited Ukraine’s attacks on Russia’s oil infrastructure as part of the reason
for rising energy prices.
“We
are going through an energy shock right now due to both the war in Ukraine — 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,” Mr. Bessent said on
Fox News. “And then the conflict in Iran. And the conflict in Iran will end.”
Mr.
Trump’s comment came hours after Ukrainian forces confirmed attacks on oil refineries
in Russian territory, officials said.
Analysts
point to both the conflict in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war as key
factors that are stretching the global oil refining system to its limit. The need
for progress in resolving both “is greater than ever to avoid further market tightening
and demand destruction,” the International Energy Agency wrote in a report published
on Friday.