MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Monday welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for Ukraine to halt strikes on Russia’s diesel-producing facilities, while saying upheaval in global energy markets stemmed mainly from conflict in the Gulf, Reuters reported.
Trump on Sunday urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to stop targeting Russian diesel infrastructure, saying the attacks were causing a fuel shortage that is “hurting the world.” A wave of long-distance Ukrainian drone attacks on refineries in recent months has cut Russian fuel output and triggered gasoline shortages across Russia.
“Any call on the Kyiv regime to stop attacks on civilian economic infrastructure can only be welcomed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Ukraine says striking Russian refineries raises the cost to Moscow of continuing its invasion.
Peskov said global energy markets were worsening mainly because of “instability and new rounds of escalation in the Persian Gulf region,” and that a Russian diesel export ban should help the domestic market ahead of parliamentary elections set for September 18–20.
Sources: Reuters
—