Donald Trump has claimed that Ukraine and Russia have agreed to stop striking each other's energy infrastructure, an announcement made as US diesel prices hit record highs and pressure mounts ahead of the midterm elections in roughly 50 days. Trump insisted the surge in fuel costs stems mainly from the Russia-Ukraine war rather than his recent military action in the Middle East, but the claimed agreement was quickly undercut by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said Kyiv had no confidence Moscow would honour any such deal.

US diesel prices reached $6.23 a gallon on Monday, surpassing the previous record set in 2022 under Joe Biden, as Russia's export ban on diesel following refinery damage worsened a global supply crunch also strained by the Iran conflict. Zelensky said Ukraine had proposed an arrangement with its partners to halt attacks on critical infrastructure and would reciprocate if Russia's commitment could be verified, while maintaining that Russian oil facilities remain legitimate targets since exports fund Moscow's war effort. Russian officials welcomed Trump's call for Ukraine to halt strikes, though Moscow did not confirm it had agreed to reciprocate, echoing a brief ceasefire Trump brokered in May that collapsed within days.