Trump slams Zelensky for war tactic claiming Ukrainian leader is ‘hurting the world’ and causing fuel shortage
US President Donald Trump publicly criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, demanding he stop striking Russian diesel fuel infrastructure, which Trump claimed was causing a global fuel shortage. Speaking to reporters at his Doonbeg golf club in Ireland during the Irish Open, Trump said Zelensky should target other sites but leave diesel facilities alone. The remarks come as Ukraine's long-range drone campaign against Russia's oil and gas industry, which Kyiv says funds and fuels Moscow's invasion, continues to cause fuel rationing across Russia despite the country's status as a major oil exporter.
The comments followed a fresh exchange of large-scale drone strikes between Russia and Ukraine overnight into Sunday, which killed and injured civilians on both sides, including two deaths and 14 injuries near an oil hub in Russia's Tatarstan region, while Ukrainian officials reported strikes on the port of Odesa and near the Polish border. Separately, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was open to resuming peace talks with Ukraine and the US as early as October, following recent meetings between US envoys and both Putin and Zelensky. However, the two sides' core demands, particularly over territorial concessions, remain far apart.
In short
- Trump tells Zelensky to stop striking Russian diesel fuel targets
- Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil sites have caused fuel shortages
- Kremlin signals openness to peace talks as early as October
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Ukraine can argue that Russian oil and fuel infrastructure helps finance and sustain its invasion, making it a legitimate military target, and that disrupting it may reduce Russia’s capacity to wage war. Kyiv may also see long-range strikes as a way to impose costs on a much larger adversary and strengthen its position in any eventual negotiations.
The case against
Critics can argue that striking fuel infrastructure risks worsening shortages and price pressures beyond Russia, while civilian harm and disruption to essential supplies may outweigh the military gains. They may also contend that restraint on these targets could limit escalation and help preserve space for peace talks, even while Russia’s invasion continues.
Explained simply
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in 2022 and has become a prolonged war involving attacks far beyond the front line. Ukraine has increasingly used long-range drones to strike Russian oil and gas facilities, saying the industry helps fund and supply the invasion. Russia is a major oil producer, but attacks and other disruptions have contributed to fuel shortages and rationing in parts of the country.
The key figures include US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The US has influence through its military support for Ukraine and its contacts with both governments. Russia and Ukraine have discussed possible peace talks, but they remain divided over territory and other terms for ending the war.