Trump again says he asked Zelensky not to strike Russian oil refineries

US President Donald Trump told reporters that he had asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky not to strike Russian diesel fuel production facilities and oil refineries. In remarks broadcast by the White House, Trump explained that diesel fuel prices are currently rising sharply worldwide, and a significant share of that fuel comes from Russia, whose plants are regularly hit by Ukrainian strikes.

Not the first such remark

Trump stressed that this was not the first time he had voiced this position — he had previously called on Zelensky to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, arguing that such attacks were causing a diesel shortage on world markets. In early July, during the public portion of a meeting with Zelensky, Trump said Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries amounted to an escalation that could bring the war closer to an end.

Call with Putin

This week Trump also said that earlier in the week he had a "great" conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who, according to Trump, wants to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine.