US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that both Ukraine and Russia have agreed to pause attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure, a move aimed at redirecting scrutiny away from rising fuel costs linked to the conflict with Iran.
“Ukraine has agreed not to hit Russian Energy targets. Russia has agreed to do, likewise!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. He further argued that global diesel price increases were primarily driven by the war in Ukraine rather than events in the Middle East.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated that no official deal had been finalized. He stated that Kyiv had proposed its allies help secure an agreement with Moscow to stop the destruction of critical infrastructure. Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine was prepared to halt its strikes provided partners could guarantee Russia would genuinely refrain from attacking Ukraine’s electricity grid, energy facilities, and food supply routes.
Energy experts have challenged Trump’s attribution of blame, pointing out that the conflict in the Middle East has caused more significant disruption to global oil supplies. Since US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, oil prices have surged after Iranian forces effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil trade.
The president’s comments followed a weekend trip to Ireland, where he urged Kyiv to stop targeting Russian diesel infrastructure. “Zelenskyy has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump told reporters. “Let him go after targets, but not diesel, because he’s causing a shortage of diesel.}”
Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian energy sites as part of Zelenskyy’s “long-range sanctions” strategy to weaken the Kremlin’s war machine. In response, Russia has repeatedly bombed Ukrainian energy systems since its full-scale invasion began in February 2022, particularly targeting infrastructure during winter months.
The surge in fuel prices poses political risks for Trump ahead of the November midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress for the remainder of his term. California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized US Energy Secretary Chris Wright on X, questioning why the administration failed to shield Americans from predictable consequences of the Iran conflict.
“Everyone knew Trump’s Iran war would disrupt the Strait of Hormuz and skyrocket costs,” Newsom wrote. “So why did Energy @SecretaryWright do nothing to protect us? Americans are owed answers about what the Trump Admin knew and why they failed to shield us from these predictable consequences.”
Newsom is right. Americans deserve answers on why the administration didn’t prepare for these predictable oil supply shocks.
Trump visited Ireland and suddenly became an energy expert? Seems like a distraction from the Iran conflict costs.
As a Ukrainian, I’m tired of our energy grid being used as a political pawn in US election strategies. Please stop.
Interesting that Trump blames Ukraine for diesel prices when Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. The geography doesn’t add up.
Zelenskyy clearly denied a formal deal. We need to check sources before believing every Truth Social post.