MOSCOW (Dispatches) – U.S. President Donald Trump made “totally false” statements when he blamed rising diesel prices in America on Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, accusing him of “deflecting the focus away from Iran.”
Zelensky said Trump is unfairly “deflecting the focus away from Iran” and claimed that “everything gets shifted onto us and I’m made the target as the leader of our country.”
According to Zelensky, “the root of the problem” lies in the Strait of Hormuz, where crude exports and other maritime traffic have dwindled to a trickle following the start of the U.S.-Israeli aggression against Iran in February.
Russia has historically been the world’s second-largest exporter of diesel fuel, behind only the United States, accounting for roughly 10% of global exports.
Disruptions to Russian supplies have tightened the global market, driving up prices even in countries that do not directly import fuel from Russia, including the U.S.
Trump, who is under heavy pressure from surging energy prices and the rising cost of living, a crisis exacerbated each day by the disruption to energy markets while the November 3 midterm elections are approaching, said earlier this month he had reached a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to buy diesel from the country.
Washington temporarily waived sanctions on Russian diesel exports to ease the global fuel crisis.
Moscow agreed to immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to American and global markets, followed by 500,000 tons in November, another million tons shortly thereafter, and potentially another 3 million tons, depending on refinery capacity.
Washington struck the deal with Moscow after Zelensky had repeatedly ignored Trump’s requests to stop strikes on Russian refineries.
“We said, you can do whatever you want to Russia, don’t hit the refineries, because that’s a world problem that’s caused,” the U.S. president said earlier this month.
Trump said Zelensky wanted to “make problems for the world.”
He also suggested that Ukraine should get a new leader who would not obstruct Washington’s so-called mediation efforts.
Moscow agreed to immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to American and global markets, followed by 500,000 tons in November, another million tons shortly thereafter, and potentially another 3 million tons, depending on refinery capacity.
Washington struck the deal with Moscow after Zelensky had repeatedly ignored Trump’s requests to stop strikes on Russian refineries. “We said, you can do 
Trump also said he found it more difficult to deal with Zelensky than with Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggesting that Ukraine should get a new leader who would not obstruct Washington’s mediation efforts.
Rising fuel prices have become an increasingly pressing domestic issue for Trump ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. U.S. diesel prices surged to record highs above $6.50 per gallon in September, with prices in California exceeding $8 in some areas.
A significant portion of the oil and gas produced in West Asia reaches world markets through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran’s armed forces closed after the U.S. and Israel launched the war against Iran on February 28.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last week that Zelensky was directly challenging Trump by refusing to accept a deal aimed at easing the global diesel shortage.
In recent months, Ukraine has ramped up long-range strikes on targets inside Russia, including civilian and energy infrastructure, amid continued setbacks at the front. Moscow has denounced the attacks as acts of terrorism and responded with strikes on military-related Ukrainian facilities.