Trump Links Ukraine’s Strikes on Russian Refineries to Record $6 U.S. Diesel and Urges Kyiv to Stop
Donald Trump is urging Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, claiming they’re contributing to U.S. diesel reaching a record $6 per gallon. His comments tie Ukraine’s campaign against Russian energy infrastructure to American fuel prices and domestic politics.
Rising U.S. diesel prices are pulling Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russian energy infrastructure into American political debate.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil refineries, saying the attacks are helping push U.S. diesel to a record $6 per gallon. His comments directly connect Ukrainian operations against Russian refineries with what American drivers are paying at the pump.
Ukraine has been hitting high-value targets on Russian territory. Its Defense Forces say they struck a 92N6 multifunction radar from a Russian S-400 system in Sochi on the night of 13–14 September, attacked drone storage, preparation and launch sites near Kursk and occupied Donetsk, and hit a UAV command post in Novohrodivka. They also report strikes on three radars and three relays in Russia’s Bryansk region, along with a short-range navigation radio system.
Inside Russia, the pressure on fuel supplies is visible. In St. Petersburg, only 55 out of 175 gas stations reportedly had fuel, with drivers waiting up to seven hours in queues and fights breaking out. Local accounts attribute the crunch to Ukrainian drone strikes that knocked out the main regional refinery in Kirishi. Black market fuel is said to be selling for 600–750 rubles per liter, and authorities warn relief may not come until October. This is described as the city’s third fuel crisis in a year.
Trump’s criticism sets Ukraine’s campaign against Russian refineries against concerns over U.S. fuel costs. For Kyiv, strikes on energy and logistics nodes are a way to limit Russia’s ability to wage war. For Trump, those same strikes are part of why U.S. diesel has become more expensive.
What matters next is whether current U.S. officials echo or reject Trump’s argument, whether Ukraine changes its targeting of Russian refineries, and how fuel shortages inside Russia and high diesel prices in the United States evolve as the refinery attacks continue.
Sources
- OSINT