US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop targeting Russian oil refineries and diesel infrastructure, saying Ukraine’s long-range strikes were worsening an already strained global fuel market.

Trump’s appeal came after average diesel prices in the United States crossed USD 6 a gallon on Friday, setting a record, while disruptions to Russian refining and the war on Iran added to pressure on global supplies. Russia and Ukraine, meanwhile, continued overnight drone attacks, reporting deaths, injuries and damage on both sides.

Trump Raises Concerns Over Diesel Supply

Trump made the remarks when asked by a reporter whether he had spoken to Zelenskyy following his recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Irish Open at his Doonbeg golf club, Trump said, “Mr Zelenskyy has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia. “

He added, “We spoke to Mr Zelenskyy about it. There are plenty of other targets. Don’t hit diesel fuel, because that’s hurting, that’s hurting the world. “

Ukraine has spent months carrying out long-range strikes on Russia’s oil and gas sector, arguing that the industry helps finance and fuel Moscow’s invasion.

However, the attacks have contributed to fuel shortages in parts of Russia and prompted Moscow to ban diesel exports in July, further tightening global supplies.

Rising fuel costs are also adding to political pressure in the United States ahead of the November mid-term elections.

War Disruptions Deepen Global Fuel Crunch

Pressure on diesel supplies has been building for months and has intensified following the war on Iran, which disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

An International Energy Agency report published on Friday said net exports of diesel and similar fuels from Gulf countries in August were “just over a quarter” of the level recorded before the war on Iran began in February.

The IEA said, “Disruptions to Russia’s refining system and a near-halt to product exports following intensified Ukrainian attacks have compounded these losses.”

It added that combined net exports from the Gulf and Russia accounted for almost 45 per cent of global seaborne trade in these fuels in February.

The disruption has brought Ukraine’s attacks on Russian energy infrastructure into sharper focus as governments confront mounting pressure on fuel supplies and prices.

Overnight Strikes Kill And Injure People In Russia

Russia and Ukraine continued to exchange drone strikes overnight into Sunday.

Local officials in Russia said two people were killed and 14 others injured near an oil and industrial hub in Tatarstan.

The deaths were reported in Nizhnekamsk, where a drone struck a tree near a parked car, according to the office of Tatarstan regional head Rustam Minnikhanov.

Nizhnekamsk is home to a major cluster of oil refineries and industrial facilities. Mayor Radmir Belyaev said a fire broke out at an unspecified “enterprise”.

Ukraine also said it struck a major oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban in Russia’s Krasnodar region near Crimea.

Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence said its drones hit a key oil processing unit and the refinery’s tank farm overnight.

Authorities in Krasnodar said the attack on “an enterprise” injured three people and damaged an oil pipeline.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces shot down 389 Ukrainian drones during the night.

Russia Steps Up Attacks Across Ukraine

Russia has also intensified its air campaign against Ukraine in recent weeks, using ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones in an effort to penetrate Ukrainian air defences.

Ukrainian officials have accused Moscow of targeting the country’s power grid ahead of winter in an effort to demoralise civilians.

In Odesa, Ukraine’s main Black Sea port hub, at least nine people were injured in what officials described as a massive overnight attack, according to Serhii Lysak of the city’s military administration.

Odesa has repeatedly faced Russian drone and missile strikes, with Kyiv accusing Moscow of attempting to choke off Ukraine’s exports.

Ukrainian officials said a separate Russian drone attack on Saturday struck a residential high-rise in Odesa, killing two people and injuring 26 others.

Border Crossings Also Targeted

In western Ukraine, overnight strikes caused no immediate casualties, although a drone set a petrol station on fire near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing with Poland, according to Ukraine’s top diplomat and a local customs spokesperson.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X, “This is Putin’s terror knocking directly on the doors of the EU and NATO. Russian barbarians are at your gate, dear partners. “

Border crossings with Poland are a major route for military and humanitarian assistance from Western allies.

Valentyna Chernysh, spokesperson for the Volyn Customs Office, said the Yahodyn crossing remained intact and nobody was injured.

Earlier in the week, two people were killed when Russian drones struck the Starokozache border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova.

A day later, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a “direct threat” to a Polish-Ukrainian crossing point had been avoided through cooperation between Warsaw and Kyiv.

Ukraine’s air force said its air defences shot down or suppressed 409 of the 453 Russian drones launched overnight, including a newer jet-powered version that is faster and harder to intercept.

The latest exchange highlighted the continuing intensity of the war, with both Russia and Ukraine maintaining attacks on energy, industrial and civilian targets even as the disruption to Russian fuel infrastructure adds to pressure on global diesel supplies.

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