‘Stop knocking out diesel’: Trump tells Zelenskyy to end strikes on Russian refineries

Kyiv: US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cease military strikes targeting Russian diesel infrastructure, arguing that the long-range attacks are generating fuel shortages.

Asked by reporters whether he had conferred with Zelenskyy following a recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump called directly on the Ukrainian leader to halt operations against Russian fuel processing targets.

“Mr Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump told journalists on the sidelines of the Irish Open at his Doonbeg golf course.

“Let him go after targets but not diesel fuel, because he’s causing a shortage of diesel fuel.”

Ukrainian long-range strikes have systematically targeted Russia’s oil and gas infrastructure for months, with Kyiv maintaining that the sector funds and directly supplies Moscow's invasion, now in its fifth year.

The Ukrainian drone campaign has triggered widespread fuel rationing across Russia, despite the country's status as a major global energy exporter. Additional Ukrainian strikes have targeted major Russian online retail platforms, bringing the domestic impact of the conflict closer to the civilian populace.

Concurrently, Russia has intensified its aerial offensive against Ukraine in recent weeks, deploying ballistic missiles and jet-powered attack drones to penetrate air defence systems. Ukrainian officials state the Russian campaign aims to dismantle the national power grid ahead of winter to demoralise civilians.

Cross-border drone strikes overnight into Sunday resulted in civilian casualties in both nations.

Local authorities in Russia’s Tatarstan region reported two deaths and 14 injuries near an industrial energy hub, whilst Ukrainian officials reported sustained Russian drone strikes targeting the Black Sea port of Odesa and a border area near Poland.

The two Russian fatalities occurred when a drone struck a tree adjacent to a parked vehicle in Nizhnekamsk, according to the office of regional head Rustam Minnikhanov. Nizhnekamsk houses a major complex of oil refineries and petrochemical facilities. Mayor Radmir Belyaev confirmed a fire broke out at an industrial site.

Kyiv also reported striking an oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban in Russia’s Krasnodar region. The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) stated its drones hit a main oil processing unit and storage farm overnight. Krasnodar authorities confirmed three injuries, pipeline damage, and a fire at an industrial facility without addressing the specific Ukrainian claims.

Russia’s Defence Ministry stated its forces intercepted and destroyed 389 Ukrainian drones overnight.

In Ukraine, a heavy overnight attack on Odesa left at least nine people injured, according to Serhii Lysak, head of the city's military administration. Odesa has faced repeated strikes aimed at restricting Ukrainian export capacity. A separate strike on Saturday hit an Odesa residential high-rise, killing two residents and injuring 26 others.

Russian strikes also targeted western Ukraine overnight. One drone hit near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk crossing on the Polish border, igniting a petrol station fire.

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

Border crossings into Poland remain critical conduits for Western military and humanitarian aid. Valentyna Chernysh, a spokesperson for the Volyn Customs Office, confirmed the Yahodyn facility remained structurally intact without casualties.

The incident follows a Tuesday strike that killed two people at the Starokozache border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova, as well as an avoided threat at a Polish-Ukrainian crossing on Wednesday, which Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned signalled potential escalations along European border points.

Ukraine’s air force stated air defences shot down or suppressed 409 out of 453 Russian drones overnight, including newer jet-powered models designed for higher speed.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated Russia remains open to resuming tripartite peace talks involving Russia, Ukraine, and the United States.

“We are not ruling out that possibility. We are specifically talking about the foreseeable future. That is, October cannot be ruled out,” Peskov said.

The remarks follow recent visits by U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to Moscow and Kyiv for talks with Putin and Zelenskyy, though fundamental positions on territorial concessions remain unresolved.

AP