President Donald Trump called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop targeting Russian diesel fuel infrastructure during an official visit to Ireland. Trump said that Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russian fuel plants are causing a global shortage of diesel, while the strikes have also contributed to fuel shortages inside Russia. The strikes have reduced Russia’s refining capacity significantly, according to CNN.
Russia has banned foreign sales of diesel as it deals with reduced production and domestic shortages. CNN reported that Russia exported about 150,000 barrels of diesel per day in August, 81% below its five-year average. Ukraine says Russian refineries are legitimate military targets because the country’s energy sector helps fund and supply Moscow’s war effort.
Trump attended the Irish Open golf tournament at his course in Doonbeg, Ireland, on Sunday, September 13, 2026, according to CBS News. He also noted that the situation is not being driven by Middle Eastern conflicts but is a result of the war between Russia and Ukraine, according to a report from CNN. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, involving the United States, Iran, and Israel, has led to global energy prices rising sharply.
Oil prices reached $108 per barrel this week as concerns grow over prolonged disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. In the United States, diesel prices hit a record high of over $6 per gallon for the first time ever. Russia is the second-largest diesel exporter globally, according to marine intelligence firm Kpler. Brent crude later settled at $104.61 per barrel on Friday.
Trump said the diesel shortage was not being caused by the Middle East. However, data cited by The Associated Press shows that the global shortage has several causes. The International Energy Agency reported that net exports of diesel and gasoil from Gulf countries in August were just over one-quarter of the level seen before the war with Iran began in February. The IEA said disruptions to Russian refining and exports had made the shortage worse.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to escalate its air campaign against Russia, with recent drone attacks targeting key infrastructure. A Russian drone strike near Yahodyn along the Polish border hit a gas station and drew swift condemnation from Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian authorities condemned the attack, calling it a continuation of Russia’s broader campaign against Ukrainian borders.
Yahodyn is one of several border crossings through which Western aid flows into Ukraine, making it a strategic target. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski warned that the Russian drone attack was an escalation in the conflict. Ukraine has also warned that Russia is increasingly using jet-powered drones that are faster and more difficult to intercept than older models.
Ukrainian Railways reported that a Russian drone struck a train locomotive two kilometers from the Polish border. A diplomatic train carrying security advisers from several European Union countries and former leaders, including former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, had left the station shortly before the strike. Another train at the same station was carrying former CIA director David Petraeus, according to Ukrainian Railways.
Ukrainian Railways said it was highly probable that the diplomatic train had been the intended target because it left Yahodyn earlier than scheduled. Johnson criticized the attack as “random and senseless,” saying he did not understand what drove Putin to target a stationary locomotive. Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt shared that he was on a train near the border when another one was struck by a drone. No casualties were reported on the trains.
Bildt had been attending an international security conference in Kyiv known as the Yalta European Strategy (YES) and was returning from the event when the incident occurred. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said Russia has fired over 2,000 drones at Ukraine in the past week alone. Many of these drones are jet-powered and harder to intercept, according to Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy put the total at about 2,100 drones over the previous week.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces continued striking railway infrastructure in western Ukraine. The ministry said these attacks are aimed at disrupting the flow of military supplies from European countries to Ukraine. On the other side, Ukraine’s military reported striking an oil refinery in Russia’s Tatarstan republic. CNN reported that Ukraine said it struck the TANECO refinery in Nizhnekamsk.
This latest Ukrainian strike was part of a broader campaign targeting Russian energy infrastructure, which Kyiv says both funds and directly fuels its war on Ukraine. Russian officials reported civilian casualties and damage to industrial facilities in Nizhnekamsk as Ukraine continued its air campaign. Ukrainian officials have said Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s power grid are meant to weaken civilian morale ahead of winter.
U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff recently met with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as part of diplomatic efforts to end the war. Following those talks, the envoys met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Despite these diplomatic efforts, core issues between Russia and Ukraine remain unresolved, especially regarding territorial concessions. The talks were described as constructive but produced no major breakthrough, according to The Associated Press.
The situation continues to unfold with both sides escalating their military actions while global markets react to the energy disruptions.
IMAGE: Fire at the Moscow Oil Refinery on June 18, 2026 Rotafinus CC1