London, Sept 14. (dpa/GNA) – US President Donald Trump, has called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to halt attacks on Russian refineries and has blamed him for a global diesel shortage.
“He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump told journalists at his Doonbeg resort on the west coast of Ireland. He added that Ukraine can go after “plenty of other targets.”
Trump failed to mention that the recent energy crisis was triggered by the war against Iran, that he and Israel started on February 28 and by the complex situation in the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, Trump claimed that the Ukrainian attacks were causing the diesel shortage.
When Russia first launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, energy prices rose significantly worldwide.
In recent months, Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on oil industry facilities in Russia, resulting in oil processing falling to its lowest level in more than 20 years.
Many petrol stations in Russia are empty, while others are only dispensing fuel in limited quantities. Motorists have to queue for hours just to be able to fill up. Trump’s account fails to recognize that the war between the US and Iran in particular is impacting the global oil market due to significantly disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil transport.
Before the war, around a fifth of global oil shipments passed through this strait. Uncertainty over supplies is driving up the price of crude oil, thereby also increasing the cost of diesel and petrol. Higher fuel prices are a problem for Trump as the mid-term elections are on November 3. On Friday, US average diesel prices reached a record $6 per gallon (3.785 litres) according to the Automobile Association (AAA).
GNA