US President Donald Trump said that what is happening between Russia and Ukraine is the biggest problem for the diesel fuel market. According to him, the impact on diesel is stronger than that of the war in the Middle East.
“Diesel fuel has suffered much more than because of the Middle East, but because of what is happening in Russia, because the oil refineries that produce diesel fuel are being taken out of service at a very alarming rate“, Trump told reporters. The statement was broadcast by the White House.
The US president added that without the strikes on Russian oil refineries, the current diesel fuel problem might not have existed.
Pressure on Kiev
The statement is Trump's latest call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop the strikes on Russian oil refineries. The US president said the attacks were contributing to a diesel shortage.
In early July, Trump described Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refining infrastructure as an escalation that could lead to an end to the war.
Trump did not provide specific figures on the size of the shortage, nor did he list the plants he said had been knocked out. His claim about the impact of the strikes on the diesel market was not accompanied by a quantitative assessment.
The conversation with Putin
Amid the diesel comments, Trump said this week that he had a "wonderful" conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to him, the Russian leader wants to reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
Specific parameters of a possible agreement were not announced.
Sources: Ukrainska Pravda