President Donald Trump has called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop strikes on Russian diesel fuel infrastructure and refineries, arguing that the attacks are causing a diesel shortage.
Trump made the appeal on Sunday while speaking to reporters in Ireland, as Ukraine continued a long-range campaign against Russian energy sites. The comments came after U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Russia and Ukraine last week for mediation talks on a possible path towards peace.
“Mr. Zelenskyy has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia. Let him go after targets but not diesel fuel, because he's causing a shortage,” Trump said.
At his golf club in Doonbeg, Trump rejected the view that the Middle East conflict was chiefly responsible for pressure on diesel supplies. “He is creating a diesel shortage. This is not happening because of the Middle East, this is happening because of what is going on between Russia and Ukraine,” he said.
Trump added: “This isn't done by the Middle East. This is done by what's happening with Russia and Ukraine. So we spoke to Mr. Zelenskyy about it.”
Energy-market data indicates that the larger cause of the global diesel squeeze is the continuing conflict in the Middle East. The U.S.-Iran war has dramatically limited oil distribution since February.
Zelenskyy had not publicly replied to Trump’s remarks. He has previously defended attacks on Russian refineries as a means of cutting resources available for the war. In April, he wrote on X: “Every dollar paid for Russian oil is money for the war”.
Ukraine has increased its long-range attacks through the summer, with oil refineries increasingly among its targets. When it stepped up attacks on Russian energy facilities in late 2025, Russia faced a domestic gasoline shortage estimated at around 20%. Ukraine’s drone campaign has also led to fuel rationing across Russia.
Overnight into Sept. 13, Ukraine targeted two Russian refineries. One was the Slavyansk Oil Refinery, which the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces described as one of the “largest independent oil refineries in the south of the Russian Federation”.
Ukraine said on Sunday that it had struck a large oil refinery in Slavyansk near Kuban in Krasnodar region. Its military intelligence service, known as the DIU, said a drone attack there caused a massive fire visible from tens of kilometers away.
The dispute concerns a central part of Ukraine’s strategy. Kyiv maintains that Russian energy facilities help finance and supply Moscow’s military campaign. Trump’s demand would leave Ukraine free to strike other targets while excluding diesel infrastructure from that campaign.
Trump did not condemn Russian attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine while making his remarks. Russia has increased its use of ballistic missiles and drones against Ukraine, with many attacks aimed at civilian sites including residential buildings and shopping centers.
It remains unclear whether Zelenskyy will accept Trump’s demand, what leverage Trump may seek to use, or how the public disagreement will affect the U.S.-mediated talks. The position of other NATO allies and the U.S. State Department on restrictions on Ukraine’s energy strikes is also unknown.
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