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WASHINGTON — President Trump publicly called Monday for an end to Russia’s war on Ukraine after a series of attacks by Kyiv on Moscow’s energy holdings triggered another spike in diesel fuel prices.
“Russia has unfortunately lost control of its Diesel Oil Industry due to its War with Ukraine,” the president posted on Truth Social.
“A large number of their Diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission,” the president went on. “This ridiculous and never ending War with Ukraine must be ended.
“The whole World suffers as 25,000 people, mostly soldiers, are being killed each month. What a shame!”
Trump is scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday. The US president has repeatedly called on Ukraine to stop long-range drone attacks on Russian oil facilities to allow the energy market to stabilize.
Average US diesel prices hit a record-setting $6.51 per gallon as of Monday morning, according to the latest data from AAA, up from $6.23 at this time last week. The average price of a gallon of regular gas stood at $4.48, up from $4.31 from one week ago.
While the US hasn’t allowed imports of Russian petroleum products since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the devastation at processing plants inside Russia has shrunk the availability of diesel worldwide and has had ripple effects in America.
“The single biggest factor has been the Ukrainian destruction of Russian refineries,” Energy Secretary Christopher Wright told CNN’s “State of the Union” earlier this month. “The Biden administration closed over a dozen refineries.”
Ukraine has been targeting Russia’s energy infrastructure both in retaliation for the Kremlin’s attacks on its facilities and as part of an effort to weaken Moscow. Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin last month in person.
Ahead of his visit with Trump, Zelensky revealed that he had a call with the US president and teased that the upcoming meeting “could change a lot.”
“There is diplomatic momentum,” he posted on X. “We went through the key details thoroughly, and they saw the situation in Ukraine firsthand. The peace track is our number one priority.”
“There are ideas for de-escalation steps and for addressing fundamental security issues – energy security, food security, and the protection of human life. We are working together with the American team and are ready to take really serious steps.”
The high diesel prices, coupled with rising gasoline prices due to the war with Iran, have given Trump political headaches heading into the midterm elections.
Trump has taken aggressive measures to put downward pressure on gasoline prices, including by having the military escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but tackling diesel prices has proven more difficult.
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