Russia ‘Unfortunately Lost Control’ of Its Diesel Refineries, Trump Says

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Russia has “unfortunately lost control” of its diesel production and said the war in Ukraine “must be ended.”Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump called the war “ridiculous” and “never ending,” claiming that “25,000 people, mostly soldiers” are being killed each month.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“Russia has unfortunately lost control of its Diesel Oil Industry due to its War with Ukraine,” he wrote. “A large number of their Diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission. This ridiculous and never-ending War with Ukraine must be ended.”The statement came a day after his phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky and a day before the two planned to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.Trump’s blames diesel crisis on UkraineTrump recently blamed Ukraine for rising global diesel prices – which is likely to affect Republican’s prospects in the US’s November mid-term elections – with diesel having reached over $7 per gallon in the country.The Financial Times (FT), citing unnamed Ukrainian officials, said Trump pressured Kyiv over the refinery strikes during Sunday’s call. One of them, who reportedly took part in the call, said Trump told Zelensky to cease strikes to relieve the spike in global diesel prices, according to the FT.However, while Ukraine’s actions are having some effect other factors are having a greater influence. Other Topics of Interest Russia Hits 2 Gas Stations on Kyiv-Lviv M06 Highway Both gas stations were in the Zhytomyr region, along the M-06 highway, a major artery from western Ukraine to Kyiv. An earlier FT report, citing findings from Ukraine’s Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) Institute, said the US war in Iran has had a larger impact on global diesel prices than the war in Ukraine.Exports from Gulf states are estimated to have fallen by 152 million barrels between March and August, compared with a 68 million-barrel drop in Russian exports over the same period, according to the KSE’s figures in the FT report.While the think tank report indicates that Russia’s overall oil exports and revenue fell in August, a new Reuters report said Russia also raised diesel exports to Central Asia despite the ongoing export ban to other regions.Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has previously cited the need to stabilize energy supplies in developing countries as a reason for extending the license exempting certain Russian oil transactions from sanctions.Zelensky’s response following Sunday callZelensky hailed “diplomatic momentum” following the call without mentioning Russia’s diesel production, though he confirmed that he would meet Trump on Tuesday.“An important conversation, and we got through a lot. We agreed to meet in New York, and this meeting could change a lot. There is diplomatic momentum,” Zelensky was quoted as saying by his office.The Ukrainian president hinted at steps towards de-escalation and mentioned the newly signed US sanctions bill against Russian energy.“We are working together with the American team and are ready to take really serious steps. I thanked the American President for signing the Lindsey Graham bill into law. We all concur – there must be peace,” he added.Zelensky has been pursuing a meeting with Trump after the president’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, visited Kyiv and Moscow, even though the talks produced no breakthrough and the war rages on.A week earlier, Trump told reporters he told the Ukrainian president “to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” days after claiming an energy truce between Kyiv and Moscow, though both countries tacitly denied reaching an agreement despite voicing openness to the idea.Russia’s oil crisisUkraine has hit Russia’s oil sector hard in 2026.In summer 2026, Kyiv hit almost, if not all, Russian refineries within range of its current weapon holdings, with its military claiming in July that 43% of Russia’s refining capacity had been forced offline as a result.Over the weekend, Ukraine hit the Moscow Oil Refinery along with surrounding regional infrastructure in an unprecedented drone and missile attack comprising over 1,600 drones and missiles, including the previously undeployed “Pelican” ballistic missile.The loss of refining capacity has led to a nationwide automobile fuel crisis and various export bans for the world’s third-largest oil producer. Russian President Vladimir Putin tacitly acknowledged the impact of Ukraine’s actions in a recent remark, despite earlier attempts by Kremlin officials to downplay it. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.