Trump says Ukraine needs to stop targeting Russian refineries
Civilians were killed and injured overnight into Sunday as both Russia and Ukraine kept up large-scale drone strikes.
Updated on: September 13, 2026 / 1:20 PM EDT / CBS/AP
President Trump on Sunday called on his Ukrainian counterpart to halt strikes on Russian refineries, saying the attacks are causing a shortage of diesel.
Mr. Trump, who is in Ireland watching the Irish Open at one of his golf courses for the weekend , was asked by a reporter if he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following his recent conversation with Russia's Vladimir Putin. The U.S. president responded by calling on Zelenskyy to halt strikes against Russia.
"Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia," Mr. Trump said. "Let him go after targets but not diesel fuel, because he's causing a shortage of diesel fuel."
Ukraine's recent long-range strikes have targeted Russia's oil and gas industry, which Kyiv says both funds and directly fuels its war on Ukraine. The Ukrainian drone campaign has caused fuel rationing across Russia, despite the country being a key oil and gas exporter. Other Ukrainian strikes targeted major Russian online retailers, bringing the war ever closer to the public.
Mr. Trump's remarks come as Russia and Ukraine continued overnight waves of drone attacks.