The Kremlin expressed approval on Monday regarding U.S. President Donald Trump’s request for Ukraine to cease its attacks on Russian diesel production facilities. It asserted that the recent volatility in global energy markets is primarily driven by the conflicts in the Gulf region, according to reports from Reuters.
On Sunday, Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop assaults on Russian energy infrastructure, arguing that these actions are creating a fuel shortage that “affects the world.”
Recent weeks have witnessed a series of Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian oil refineries, which have diminished the country’s fuel production and resulted in shortages, including in gasoline.
Ukraine contends that its attacks on the refineries aim to increase the costs incurred by Moscow in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
“Any appeal to the Kyiv regime to cease attacks on civilian economic infrastructure can only be welcomed,” stated Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov during a daily video conference with journalists.
Many regions in Russia are experiencing gasoline shortages, which are impacting public morale ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for September 18-20.
Peskov further commented that the state of global energy markets is deteriorating mainly due to “instability and new rounds of escalation in the Persian Gulf” and suggested that the ban on diesel exports should help increase domestic supply in Russia.
Russia Accuses Ukraine of Attacking Diesel Trucks, Endangering Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant
On Sunday, the head of Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear energy company, accused Ukraine of attacking diesel trucks, thereby intentionally jeopardizing the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which remains under Russian control since the beginning of the war.
The alleged attack occurred on Friday, resulting in the deaths of two Russian soldiers and injuries to several others, as reported by Rosatom director Alexei Likhachov in a statement on Sunday.
According to Likhachov, Ukrainian forces launched a series of coordinated strikes on trucks delivering diesel to the Zaporizhzhia plant on Friday.
“The attacks hit in the immediate vicinity of the plant’s perimeter. Two soldiers were killed, and a significant number of Russian soldiers were injured, some seriously. All were involved in supporting this purely civilian mission,” Likhachov added in his statement.
