On Sunday, the US president urged Ukraine to stop strikes against Russian oil refineries due to a sudden surge in diesel fuel prices worldwide.
Read more In Europe, calls to fight against «perverted» smart glasses are growing louder and louder
“Mr. Zelensky has to do just one thing. He has to stop destroying diesel fuel reserves in Russia. He is causing a diesel fuel shortage,” said D. Trump while visiting Ireland.
Responding to journalists’ questions, D. Trump claimed that the cause of this sudden price surge is Ukraine, not his initiated war against Iran, which has severely limited oil supplies from the Middle East.
A high-ranking European official familiar with US mediation efforts in the Russia-Ukraine war told Politico that the Trump administration is trying to find a “scapegoat” ahead of the crucial US midterm elections on November 3.
“This administration blames Ukraine because it doesn’t know what to do with its war [in Iran],” the official emphasized.
He also noted that Russian diesel and oil exports have never been significant for US consumption.
“The very idea is absurd,” the official stated.
“Moreover, we’ve all heard President Trump say that America can supply as much oil as anyone wants,” he reminded.
Read more Volvo starts serial production of electric trucks with a range of up to 700 km
However, D. Trump is not the first American official to blame Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries for the rise in diesel prices.
Earlier, the country’s energy minister Chris Wright told CBS that the diesel situation worsened due to significant damage to Russian oil refineries.
A few days earlier, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed that America is experiencing an “energy shock” partly because “Ukraine decided to blow up Russian energy facilities and oil refineries.”
A high-ranking European official told Politico that if Washington wants Kyiv to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, it should force Moscow to cease its shelling of Ukraine’s energy system.
He also noted that “energy ceasefires must be mutual” and expressed confidence that Russian leader Vladimir Putin does not respect the Trump administration, so “ceasefires have not started so far.”
Read more EU diplomacy chief struck hard: Russia seeks to scare the West
