‘Diesel, diesel…diesel’: Why is Trump pushing Zelensky over Russian oil attacks? US Concerns Explained | Today’s news
U.S. President Donald Trump called his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday to persuade Kiev to halt its attacks on Russian refinery hubs, a move Trump said could further exacerbate a global shortage of diesel and drive up prices, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Trump’s message to Zelensky was about “diesel, diesel … diesel” and urged him to stop drone and missile attacks on key Russian oil infrastructure, a senior official who spoke to the two leaders said in the publication.
Trump is concerned about rising diesel prices and wants to ensure Russian oil reaches global markets to provide relief from rising prices, another official told the FT.
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Zelenskyy issued a statement after the phone call, saying it was an “important conversation” and that his meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week “could make a big difference.” According to the Ukrainian president’s office, the meeting is likely to take place on Tuesday local time.
“I thanked the president for the visit of Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Kyiv. We thoroughly went over the key details and they saw the situation in Ukraine firsthand. The peaceful path is our number one priority,” Zelenskyy also said.
Why is the US afraid of strikes on Russian refineries?
While the United States is not worried about Russia losing oil revenue, it is worried about the ripple effect that a lower supply of Russian refined oil products could have on the global market for refined fuels, especially diesel.
Russia is one of the largest exporters of refined petroleum products. According to International Energy Agency (IEA) Russia has around 6.5 million barrels/day of refining capacity. It is historically the third largest producer of refined petroleum products. The output of Russian refineries decreased by almost 30 percent year-on-year thanks to strikes by Kiev.
The IEA also said global seaborne diesel/gasoline exports averaged 4.7 million bpd in the first eight months of 2026, down 10% year-on-year. As a result of the two ongoing wars, diesel exports from Russia and the Middle East have also decreased significantly.
Kyiv hits Russia’s main refinery
Ukraine fired more than 1,000 drones at Russia on Sunday amid Russian parliamentary elections.
Moscow’s mayor called it the “biggest ever” drone attack on the city and said Moscow’s oil refinery had also suffered damage.
According to local governor Andrei Vorobyov, the attack claimed two lives and 20 wounded.
Zelensky himself shared a video of the damage caused. He called Russian oil facilities, one of which was hit by Kiev drones, “billions of dollars that keep the war machine going.”
Russia is planning major airstrikes in Ukraine
Russia has not commented on Trump’s call for Putin to stop attacks on Moscow’s oil infrastructure. Even Putin said nothing after Trump’s announcement that Ukraine would suspend attacks on Russian oil refineries if Moscow promised to do the same.
Putin is unlikely to agree to this before the winter, when he plans to launch a major aerial bombardment of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, the FT said, citing people briefed on the Russian president’s plans.
“They are hitting on ours. They will get an answer. Basically, that’s how it is,” the Russian president said.
