Trump Tells Zelenskyy to Halt Russian Refinery Strikes — SkimNews
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- Trump told Zelenskyy at his Doonbeg golf course in Ireland that "Mr. Zelenskyy has to do one thing: He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia," blaming Ukrainian strikes rather than the US-Iran war for global fuel scarcity.
- US diesel prices hit a record ~$6.20 a gallon on Sunday, nearly 65% higher than before the US and Israel struck Iran in February, with regular gasoline at $4.31/gallon, about 45% higher in the same period.
- Russia's fuel oil exports fell to 591,000 bpd in August from a 2025 average of 860,000 bpd, according to Kpler data, while Moscow retaliated by hitting at least 246 petrol stations near the Ukrainian front line since April.
- Ukraine struck the TANECO refinery in Tatarstan hours before Trump's comments, killing two civilians, as part of a campaign Kyiv justifies by saying Russian energy infrastructure directly funds the war effort.
- Combined Russia-Gulf diesel exports were 1.6 million barrels a day lower in August than in February, when they accounted for nearly 45% of global trade, according to the International Energy Agency.
- IG Group chief market analyst Chris Beauchamp said US military action in the Middle East—not Ukrainian strikes—is the primary driver of diesel prices, warning the situation "threatens to tip the world economy into recession."
- Trump's economic approval has slid to 17% in a Financial Times poll, with November midterm elections heightening political pressure as record fuel costs become a liability for Republicans.
Why it matters: Trump is publicly blaming Ukraine for a fuel crisis that his own cited analysts attribute to the US-Iran conflict he escalated, creating a credibility gap just as Republicans face November midterms with 17% approval on the economy. The stakes are concrete: diesel at $6.20 a gallon feeds into trucking, rail, and shipping costs that ripple through consumer prices, and Trump is pressing Kyiv to abandon a key revenue-squeezing tactic against Moscow in exchange for relief that analysts say will be marginal and short-lived.
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