Washington: US President Donald Trump has urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries and other facilities linked to diesel production and distribution, saying the strikes are worsening a global fuel shortage.
Trump’s comments came after average diesel prices in the US crossed $6 a gallon on Friday, reaching a record level as fuel costs add to economic pressure on American consumers ahead of the November midterm elections.
Asked whether he had spoken with Zelenskyy following his recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump called on Ukraine to avoid targeting Russia’s diesel infrastructure.
“Mr Zelenskyy has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump told reporters on the sidelines of the Irish Open at his Doonbeg golf club in Ireland.
“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,” he said.
Ukraine has for months carried out long-range attacks against Russia’s oil and gas sector, arguing that the industry helps finance Moscow’s more than four-year-old invasion and directly supports its war effort.
The strikes have disrupted Russian fuel supplies and contributed to fuel rationing in parts of the country. Moscow also imposed a ban on diesel exports in July, further reducing supplies available to an already tight global market.
The pressure on fuel supplies has been compounded by disruptions linked to the war on Iran, which has curtailed oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to a report released Friday by the International Energy Agency, net exports of diesel and gasoil from Gulf countries in August fell to just over a quarter of their level before the war on Iran began in February.
“Disruptions to Russia’s refining system and a near-halt to product exports following intensified Ukrainian attacks have compounded these losses,” the IEA said.
The agency said combined net exports of diesel and gasoil from the Gulf and Russia accounted for almost 45% of global seaborne trade in February, underscoring the impact of disruptions in both regions.
Ukraine, Russia exchange large-scale drone strikes
Trump’s remarks came as Russia and Ukraine exchanged large-scale drone attacks overnight, with casualties reported on both sides.
Two people were killed and 14 others wounded near an oil and industrial hub in Russia’s Tatarstan, according to local officials. The deaths occurred in Nizhnekamsk after a drone struck a tree near a parked car, the office of regional head Rustam Minnikhanov said.
Nizhnekamsk is home to a major concentration of oil refineries and other industrial facilities. Mayor Radmir Belyaev said a fire broke out at an unspecified enterprise following the attack.
Ukraine also claimed that its drones struck a major oil refinery in Sloviansk-on-Kuban in Russia’s Krasnodar region, near Crimea.
Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence Directorate said the overnight strikes hit an oil processing unit and the refinery’s tank farm.
Krasnodar authorities said an attack on an unspecified enterprise injured three people and damaged an oil pipeline.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had shot down 389 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Russian strikes hit Odesa, western Ukraine
In Ukraine, at least nine people were injured in what officials described as a massive Russian drone attack on Odesa, according to Serhii Lysak of the city’s military administration.
The Black Sea port city has faced repeated Russian missile and drone attacks, with Kyiv accusing Moscow of attempting to disrupt Ukraine’s vital export routes.
A Russian drone struck a residential high-rise in Odesa on Saturday, killing two people and injuring 26, Ukrainian officials said.
Russian drones also targeted western Ukraine overnight, although there were no immediate reports of casualties.
One drone set fire to a gas station near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing with Poland, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and a local customs official.
The crossing is a major route for military and humanitarian assistance from Western allies into Ukraine.
“This is Putin’s terror ‘knocking’ directly on the doors of the EU and NATO. Russian barbarians are at your gate, dear partners,” Sybiha wrote on X.
Valentyna Chernysh, a spokesperson for the Volyn Customs Office, told The Associated Press that the Yahodyn crossing remained intact and no one was injured.
Earlier this week, two people were killed after Russian drones struck 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 had been avoided through cooperation between Warsaw and Kyiv.
Ukraine’s air force said its defenses shot down or suppressed 409 Russian drones overnight. It said Russia had launched 453 drones in total, including a newer jet-powered model that is faster and more difficult to intercept.
The latest attacks come as Russia has intensified its air campaign against Ukraine, including the use of ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones. Ukrainian officials say Moscow has increasingly targeted the country’s power infrastructure ahead of winter in an effort to disrupt essential services and demoralize civilians.
