Politics

Trump tells Zelensky to stop striking Russian diesel infrastructure

1 min read
Trump tells Zelensky to stop striking Russian diesel infrastructure
U.S. President Donald Trump attends the final day of the Irish Open on Sept.13, 2026, in Doonbeg, Ireland. U(Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sept. 13 called on President Volodymyr Zelensky to halt Ukrainian strikes on Russia's diesel fuel infrastructure, claiming the attacks were contributing to a global diesel shortage as his war against Iran disrupts fuel supplies worldwide.

The remarks signal an effort by Trump to curb Ukraine's attacks on Russia's energy sector as global fuel markets face mounting supply disruptions linked to the U.S. war against Iran.

"Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia," Trump said. "Let him go after targets, but not diesel fuel, because he's causing a shortage of diesel."

"We spoke to Mr. Zelensky about it... This isn't done by the Middle East."

Trump's war against Iran has knocked out more than 20% of Middle Eastern refining capacity and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which previously carried roughly a fifth of global oil supplies.

Ukraine has continued targeting Russian oil infrastructure as part of its broader effort to disrupt fuel supplies and reduce revenues that Moscow uses to finance its war against Ukraine.

On Sept. 13, Ukrainian forces struck oil refineries in Russia's Krasnodar Krai and the Republic of Tatarstan, Ukraine's General Staff reported.

Avatar
Tim Zadorozhnyy

Reporter

Tim Zadorozhnyy is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering foreign policy, U.S.-Ukraine relations, and political developments across Europe and Russia. He studied International Relations and European Studies at Lazarski University and Coventry University. Tim began his journalism career in Odesa in 2022 as a reporter for a local television channel. He later spent a year and a half at the Belarusian independent media outlet NEXTA, first as a news anchor and later as a managing editor. He is fluent in English, Ukrainian, and Russian.

Read more
News Feed
Show More