Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday that Ukraine is ready to stop striking Russian oil refineries, but only if Moscow ends its attacks on Ukrainian energy sites.
Posting on X, Zelenskyy emphasized that any de‑escalation must be mutual. “Any de‑escalation steps must be reciprocal and backed by real guarantees,” he wrote. “The real cause of the war in Europe is Russia and Russia alone. It is possible to stop strikes on energy infrastructure as early as today, but Putin does not want to do so,” he added.
Zelenskyy’s comments came in response to sharp criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been denouncing Ukrainian strikes on Russian fuel facilities. At a White House press briefing on Saturday, Trump claimed Zelenskyy repeatedly failed to end the war and urged Ukraine to consider a new leader.
He told reporters, “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal,” adding, “for some reason (Zelenskyy) never does.” He went on to argue that the conflict would never have erupted under his administration, stating, “that war would have never started. There was no reason that the war with Ukraine and Russia started. It started due to incompetence.”
Trump also highlighted the human toll, saying, “Zelenskyy has lost 30% of your country and you’ve had over a million people go between the two of them, over 2 million people killed. That’s a war that should have never started. And I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.”
The energy‑target dispute followed Trump’s Truth Social post outlining a deal he says he struck with Russian President Vladimir Putin to channel Russian diesel into global markets. He wrote that Russia had agreed to “immediately supply over 300,000 tons of diesel fuel to the American and global marketplace, another 500,000 tons during the month of November, and 1,000,000 tons immediately thereafter.”
He added that additional shipments would hinge on refinery conditions, noting, “based on the condition of their diesel refineries, Russia will then deliver, within a short period of time, 3,000,000 tons of diesel fuel.”
Trump framed the plan as a way to slash fuel prices, claiming that “TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz, and this great announcement on Russian energy, diesel prices for Americans and, indeed, the world, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!” He stressed the domestic impact, stating, “Lower prices for Americans, especially our great farmers, ranchers, and truckers, is my greatest priority.” He closed the post with a brief note on Tehran: “Additionally, it must be understood, that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon!”
The focus on diesel supplies comes as shipping and production costs spike across the board. Freight fleets, delivery trucks, and farm tractors all run on diesel, so when wholesale prices jump, transport firms and food producers face higher overhead. Those added expenses quickly ripple through supply chains, ending up on grocery and retail bills for consumers.
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