US President Donald Trump called the Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries in Russia a “disgrace” and said that they contribute to the rise in the price of oil and diesel fuel around the world. He made the statement in an interview with Newsmax television.
„You tell me that Zelensky is attacking refineries again. All he does is raise oil prices in the world. I think it’s a disgrace“, Trump said.
The US president added that the attacks were aimed at enterprises that produce diesel fuel, which is needed by the US and the world market. "When you hit refineries, you don't do anything good for the world," he said.
Washington holds back ammunition for its own stockpile
In the same interview, Trump said that the United States had used relatively little ammunition in the war with Iran, but had previously given a large amount to Ukraine.
"They wasted a lot of our ammunition by giving it to Ukraine. We spent relatively little in Iran," Trump said.According to him, US-made ammunition is now mainly going to replenish US arsenals, rather than being sold to allies. Trump said that supplies would be allowed again once supplies were sufficiently restored.
Striking refineries and fuel prices
Trump's comments come amid a deepening dispute between Washington and Kiev. After the US president announced an energy truce between Russia and Ukraine, Kiev resumed strikes on Russian energy facilities, saying that Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure had not stopped. On October 15, Ukraine attacked a Russian oil refinery, Reuters reported.
Trump linked the attacks to the rise in diesel prices. However, the Associated Press points out that the rise in prices is the result of a combination of factors, including the war between the US and Iran and the difficult access to oil from the Middle East. The agency notes that it is the conflict around Iran that has raised the prices of energy products on international markets.
Trump: War with Iran will end soon
The American president also said that negotiations between the United States and Iran are continuing and that the conflict will end “very soon“.
“The war with Iran will end very soon. Either way, it will end soon. They are negotiating with us“, Trump said.He did not specify a specific date for the cessation of hostilities or details of the negotiations. At the same time, the war continues to put pressure on oil and diesel supplies, and Washington's attempts to stabilize the market through Russian fuels have drawn criticism in the United States and Ukraine.
Sources: apnews.com, investing.com