Trump Demands Russian Refineries Be Spared as Diesel Surges

President Donald Trump on Sunday called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries that produce diesel, arguing the attacks are driving a global fuel shortage and record U.S. prices just weeks before the November midterm elections.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Amgen Irish Open at his Doonbeg golf course in Ireland, Trump said: “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 of diesel.” He added that his administration had already raised the issue with Kyiv: “We spoke to Mr. Zelenskyy about it. There are plenty of other targets. Don’t hit diesel fuel because that’s hurting the world. We don’t want him to hit diesel fuel. He’s hitting diesel refineries.”

Hours later aboard Air Force One, Trump reiterated the request. Asked which conflict might end first — the Russia-Ukraine war or the U.S.-Iran war — he replied that his “problem” with the Ukraine conflict is that “diesel fuel comes from Russia and the Russia plants are being hit by Ukraine. And I’ve asked President Zelensky not to hit the diesel plants, refineries. Diesel is being driven up by the fact that it’s having a hard time coming out of Russia, and that’s a case that hurts the world; we’ve got to stop.”

Trump attributed the diesel squeeze primarily to Ukraine’s campaign rather than the Middle East conflict, saying “This isn’t done by the Middle East; this is done by what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine.”

Record Prices Hit U.S. Consumers and Industry

U.S. diesel prices have broken all-time records. As of September 14, 2026, AAA reported a national average of $6.2301 per gallon for diesel — the highest ever recorded — up from $6.2040 the previous day and $3.6923 a year earlier. Regular gasoline averaged $4.3163 per gallon, up from $3.1752 a year ago.

The EIA’s latest weekly survey (week of September 7) showed on-highway diesel at $5.967 per gallon and regular gasoline at $4.157. Diesel has risen more than 60 percent year-over-year and is essential for long-haul trucking, freight rail, shipping, and farm equipment. Gasoline has climbed roughly 36 percent year-over-year and about 54 percent from a January low of $2.795 per gallon cited in market reports.

These increases feed directly into higher costs for goods, food, and transportation. Analysts note that energy-driven inflation is already pressuring businesses and households heading into the midterms that will decide control of the House and Senate.

How Ukraine’s Strikes Tightened Global Diesel Markets

Ukraine has conducted dozens of long-range drone and missile strikes on Russian refineries in 2026, hitting facilities in southern Russia, Tatarstan, Saratov, and elsewhere. Because diesel and gasoline are produced at the same plants, the attacks have slashed Russia’s refining throughput and created domestic fuel shortages visible to ordinary Russians. Moscow responded by banning diesel exports, removing a major source of global supply. Russia had been the world’s second-largest diesel exporter before the restrictions.

The resulting tightness compounded disruptions from the war in Iran, which has restricted oil and product flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Together, the two conflicts have pushed refining margins and wholesale diesel prices sharply higher in the United States and Europe.

The Trump administration had previously warned Ukraine against strikes on certain regional energy infrastructure, including Caspian Pipeline Consortium facilities. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed Trump’s latest comments while blaming most global energy volatility on the Persian Gulf. Ukraine has not issued an immediate public response.

Peace Talks and Trump’s Broader Comments

Trump’s refinery remarks come amid renewed U.S. mediation efforts. Special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner recently visited Moscow and Kyiv. On September 9, after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump told reporters: “He is wanting to make a deal, and if Zelenskyy is wanting to make a deal, that’d be very nice.” He described the main obstacle as “two people that hate each other.”

A circulating paraphrase — “Russia wants a peace deal, and the Ukrainians want a peace deal, but Zelensky does not; he won’t be around long if he does not make a peace deal” — closely tracks themes Trump has used. The “won’t be around very long” language echoes his March 2025 remark: “If somebody doesn’t want to make a deal, I think that person won’t be around very long.” Recent social-media clips combine the September peace comments with that earlier warning. Official transcripts from the Ireland gaggle and Air Force One remarks focus on the diesel facilities rather than restating the older phrasing.

Trump has predicted that energy costs will fall once the Iran conflict ends, possibly “right after” or “maybe before” the midterms.

For Energy News Beat readers, the immediate story is the collision of wartime targeting, global product markets, and U.S. pump prices. Diesel at more than $6 per gallon is no longer a forecast — it is the current national average. How Kyiv responds to the White House request, and whether peace talks produce even a limited energy truce, will help determine whether those prices keep climbing through the fall.

On the Energy News Beat podcast with Joe Leather and Mark LaCour, we talked about diesel prices in Scotland two weeks ago. Joe filled up his truck for $13.77 per gallon equivalent. They use liters, so we converted that to a US number for comparison.

The world oil and natural gas system is integrated, and all supply buffers have been removed, and any bump, drone, or refinery accident will cause problems for consumers.