Trump urges Zelensky to halt strikes on Russian diesel infrastructure, blames them for global shortage

Why it matters

Trump's public demand puts direct pressure on Ukraine to scale back strikes on Russia's energy sector, a core element of Kyiv's wartime strategy. The claim that Ukrainian attacks — rather than the US war against Iran — are the main cause of the global diesel shortage is contested by a senior European official and by Poland's foreign minister, sharpening a transatlantic dispute over who is responsible for record fuel prices. With US midterm elections approaching on 3 November and US diesel above $6 a gallon, the episode carries an immediate domestic political dimension for the Trump administration. Russia welcomed the call without offering any reciprocal restraint on strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure.

What happened

On Sunday 13 September 2026, on the sidelines of the Irish Open golf tournament at his Doonbeg club in County Clare, Ireland, US President Donald Trump told journalists that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky must stop striking Russian diesel fuel infrastructure. Trump said Ukraine is causing a global diesel fuel shortage and that the deficit is the product of the Russia–Ukraine war, not US military action against Iran. He added that he had already discussed the matter with Zelensky and that there are "many other targets" Ukraine can hit besides diesel facilities.

A journalist had asked Trump whether he had spoken with Zelensky following his recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier in the week, Trump said he had had a "wonderful" discussion with Putin, whom he described as wanting to make a deal to end the war. Trump did not call on Putin to halt the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year, and he did not provide evidence for the claim that Ukrainian strikes are the main driver of the global diesel shortage.

On the same day, the Ukrainian military reported overnight strikes on the Slaviansk ECO refinery in the Krasnodar region and the Taneco refinery in Tatarstan, with Tatarstan authorities saying two people were killed and 14 injured in attacks on Nizhnekamsk. On 14 September, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed Trump's call but declined to say whether Russia would stop its own strikes on Ukrainian economic infrastructure.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian-language outlets centered the direct US–Ukraine exchange, often using the headline framing "Trump called on Zelensky to stop strikes on Russian refineries / diesel infrastructure." Several pieces foregrounded Russia's warm reception of Trump's call and contrasted it with Moscow's refusal to offer reciprocal restraint on Ukrainian targets. Coverage stressed Russia's intensified strikes on the Ukrainian energy grid ahead of winter and the costs Ukraine is already absorbing, framing Trump's demand as one-sided pressure on Kyiv. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski's open disagreement with Trump's claim was used to undercut the diesel-shortage narrative, and a Radio NV poll of 2,628 respondents was cited to show that a majority of those polled said Ukraine should not heed Trump's call. Ukrainian outlets also repeatedly recalled Trump's early-July characterization of refinery strikes as an escalation that could end the war, highlighting what they framed as a reversal in tone.

How international sources describe it

English-language coverage (AP, Politico, Fox-sourced reporting) led with Trump's quote attributing the global diesel shortage to Ukraine's strikes and his "don't hit diesel" message to Zelensky. US and German outlets placed the remarks in domestic context: record US diesel prices and the proximity of the 3 November midterm elections, framing Trump's comments as politically timed. Politico-sourced reporting, republished internationally, highlighted a senior European official who called Trump's reasoning "absurd" and said the administration is looking for scapegoats. Polish coverage focused on Foreign Minister Sikorski's public disagreement during a joint press conference with Andrii Sybiha in Kyiv. Qatari Arabic-language outlets reported Trump's call without endorsing his cause-of-shortage claim, while Azerbaijani and Kazakh outlets relayed Trump's denial that the US war against Iran is to blame, concentrating on the direct US–Ukraine diplomatic exchange. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were quoted echoing Trump's framing of an "energy shock" partly caused by Ukrainian strikes.

Where reporting differs

Sources place Trump's remarks on Sunday, 13 September 2026; one article dates them to 13 September 2025 and another to "Sunday, August 13," likely a typo. The cause of the global diesel shortage is the central dispute: Trump attributes it to Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and rules out the Middle East; a senior European official briefed on US-mediated talks called the reasoning "absurd" and said Russian diesel exports have never played a significant role in US consumption. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent back Trump's framing of an "energy shock" caused partly by Ukrainian strikes; Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski publicly disagreed, speaking alongside Ukraine's foreign minister in Kyiv. On whether Trump has personally spoken with Zelensky about stopping the strikes, Trump said yes and added that representatives of his administration have raised the issue; one later report says Trump spoke with Putin earlier in the week but did not call Zelensky. The Kremlin welcomed Trump's demand but refused to say whether Russia would halt strikes on Ukrainian economic infrastructure.

Background

Ukraine has been carrying out long-range strikes, including with drones, against Russia's oil and gas industry, which finances and supplies fuel for the war. The campaign has caused fuel-sales restrictions inside Russia even though Russia is a major global exporter. US diesel prices reached a record above $6 per gallon on Friday 12 September, according to AAA. In August, US Vice President JD Vance asked Zelensky to limit strikes on oil tankers in Novorossiysk to protect the interests of US companies Chevron and ExxonMobil; Ukraine reportedly agreed with exceptions. In early July 2026, Trump publicly described Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries as an escalation that could bring the war to an end. Earlier in the same week as his Doonbeg remarks, Trump said he had had a "wonderful" conversation with Vladimir Putin and that the Russian leader wants to make a deal to end the war. Since February 2026, a US-Israeli war against Iran has reduced global oil and gas supply; the IEA has said diesel is particularly affected because Gulf-state and Russian refineries have been damaged. Russia has intensified its air campaign against Ukraine in recent weeks, using ballistic missiles and jet drones against Ukrainian energy infrastructure ahead of winter.