Trump blames Zelenskyy for diesel shortage, tells Ukraine to stop strikes on Russian supplies
US president Donald Trump on Sunday urged Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop targeting Russian diesel supplies, arguing that the attacks were contributing to a fuel shortage.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Irish Open at his Doonbeg golf club, Trump was asked whether he had spoken to Zelenskyy following his recent conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin.“Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump said, adding that Ukrainian forces have “plenty of other targets” they could strike. Destroying Russian diesel production capacity was “hurting the world”, he said, according to Bloomberg.Ukraine has stepped up long-range strikes on Russian energy infrastructure in recent months, with Kyiv arguing that the oil and gas sector helps finance Russia’s war. The attacks have contributed to fuel rationing in parts of Russia.The latest strikes came as both countries exchanged large-scale drone attacks overnight.In Russia’s Tatarstan, two people were killed and 14 injured following a drone attack near Nizhnekamsk, according to regional authorities. The city hosts major oil-refining and petrochemical facilities.The office of regional head Rustam Minnikhanov said the two victims died when a drone struck a tree near their parked car. Nizhnekamsk mayor Radmir Belyaev separately reported a fire at an unspecified “enterprise”.Ukraine’s defence intelligence agency said it had also struck the Slavyansk-on-Kuban oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, claiming its drones hit an oil-processing unit and the facility’s tank farm.Krasnodar authorities said three people were injured, an oil pipeline was damaged and a fire broke out at an “enterprise”, without directly confirming Ukraine’s account.Russia’s defence ministry said 389 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted overnight.Ukraine also reported fresh Russian attacks. Serhii Lysak, head of Odesa’s military administration, said at least nine people were injured in what he described as a “massive” overnight assault on the Black Sea port city.Ukrainian authorities also reported a drone strike near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk crossing with Poland, where a petrol station caught fire. Ukraine’s air force said its defences had shot down or suppressed 409 Russian drones out of 453 launched overnight.Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was open to resuming trilateral peace talks with Ukraine and the US in October.“We are not ruling out that possibility. We are specifically talking about the foreseeable future. That is, October cannot be ruled out,” Peskov told reporters.The comments come after recent meetings involving US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, Putin and Zelenskyy.
