Neither Moscow nor Kiev has confirmed any agreement not to target the other’s diesel-related infrastructure
US President Donald Trump has claimed to have brokered a deal whereby both Russia and Ukraine will refrain from targeting each other’s diesel-related infrastructure.
Trump, who demanded that Vladimir Zelensky stop targeting Russia’s diesel production facilities, claimed in a Truth Social media post that the fuel’s price spike was related to the Ukraine conflict and not the Middle East.
“Ukraine has agreed not to hit Russian Energy targets. Russia has agreed to do, likewise!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday. “The World’s Diesel price rise is mostly caused by the Russia/Ukraine War, not Iran.”
The announcement follows Trump’s call on Zelensky on Sunday to stop targeting Russian diesel production, which he blamed for fuel shortages and rising prices worldwide.
The national average diesel price in the US rose above $6 per gallon ($1.59 per liter) last week, up roughly 60% from the same period a year earlier. Market experts have largely attributed the surge to the conflict in the Middle East and renewed hostilities between the US and Iran, which have driven up crude oil prices.
Ukraine has been targeting oil refineries, storage facilities, and export infrastructure with long-range drone strikes deep in Russia. Kiev claims this campaign undermines Moscow’s military financing and sustainment, while the Kremlin has stressed that the strikes are targeting civilian infrastructure.
Russia has retaliated with massive drone and missile strikes on Ukraine’s military-linked infrastructure and shipping facilities, effectively crippling the country’s main export route through its Black Sea ports. Moscow maintains that it never targets civilians.
Before the US and Israel attacked Iran in February, around a fifth of global energy supplies passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran’s subsequent restrictions on commercial shipping, along with a US naval blockade, have disrupted flows through the key waterway.
READ MORE:
Ukrainian attacks fueling global ‘energy shock’ – US Treasury secretary (VIDEO)
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier this month that Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure had contributed to a global “energy shock” and pushed prices higher. He said the disruption had compounded pressure on energy markets from the war with Iran.
The rise in diesel prices could have broader consequences for US consumers because it is widely used in agriculture and freight transport, including trucks and trains that carry food and other goods. Fuel is estimated to account for between 15% and 30% of food costs in the US, according to various estimates.
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