# Trump to Zelenskyy: lay off the diesel

> Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries are working, and that is exactly why Trump wants them stopped.
- Title: Trump to Zelenskyy: lay off the diesel · Fox News | Shortify
- Summary: Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries are working, and that is exactly why Trump wants them stopped. Ukraine's most effective economic weapon against…
- Keywords: trump, zelenskyy, ukraine, diesel, oil prices, news, politics, lay, Fox News
- Source: Fox News — https://foxnews.com/politics/trump-tells-zelenskyy-stop-doing-one-thing-during-attacks-russia
- Author: Stephen Sorace
- Published: 2026-09-13T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: trump, zelenskyy, ukraine, diesel, oil prices, news, politics
## One thing, stop it
Speaking to reporters in Ireland on Sunday, Trump said Ukraine's president has a single job to fix: quit striking Russia's diesel refineries.

> Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia.
## Hit anything else
Trump did not ask Kyiv to stop attacking Russia. He drew a line around fuel infrastructure and said there is a long list of other targets.

> Let him go after targets, but not diesel fuel because he's causing a shortage of diesel.
## He already made the call
Trump said he raised it directly with Zelenskyy, after a recent conversation with Putin. The message was that the strikes hurt the world, not just Moscow.

> Don't hit diesel fuel because that's hurting the world.
## Why Kyiv keeps hitting
Long-range strikes on Russian oil and gas sites are aimed at the industry that funds and fuels the war, more than four years after the full-scale invasion.
## Rationing inside Russia
The attacks squeezed Russian fuel supplies enough to trigger rationing in some regions and a ban on diesel exports in July.
## Six dollars a gallon
U.S. diesel hit a record average above $6 on Friday, with reduced shipments through the Strait of Hormuz adding to the strain.

> This isn't done by the Middle East. This is done by what's happening with Russia and Ukraine.
## Key takeaway

Ukraine's most effective economic weapon against Moscow is also the one pushing diesel prices to records, so Washington wants it holstered.