Kremlin welcomes Trump’s call on Ukraine to stop striking Russian refineries

At the same time, he did not answer whether Russia would be prepared, if Kyiv accepted such a proposal, to stop its own strikes on Ukraine’s economic infrastructure.

On Sept. 13, Trump said Ukraine should stop attacking Russian energy facilities because those strikes are causing a diesel fuel shortage in Russia.

“Mr. Zelenskyy has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump told reporters during a visit to the Irish Open golf championship. “Let him go after targets, but not diesel fuel, because he’s causing a shortage of diesel.”

On Sept. 8, Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin after his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner returned to the United States, but he did not call Zelenskyy.

On Sept. 9, after what he described as a “great conversation” with Putin, Trump said the Russian leader was ready to make a peace deal and expressed hope that Zelenskyy would also agree to such arrangements.

On Sept. 11, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was necessary to find a formula for an energy truce under which Russia would stop striking Ukraine’s energy system and Ukraine would then refrain from responding in kind. Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine is capable of responding to Russian attacks, including strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

On Sept. 13, he said he hoped to discuss an energy truce with Russia during a meeting with Trump in New York.