US President Donald Trump on Sunday called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt strikes on Russian diesel, saying the attacks are causing a fuel shortage. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Irish Open at his Doonbeg golf club, Trump said, "Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia." He added, "Let him go after targets but not diesel fuel, because he's causing a shortage of diesel fuel."

Trump's remarks came after he was asked whether he had spoken with Zelenskyy following his recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In his response, Trump referenced those discussions, saying, "We spoke to Mr. Zelenskyy about it. There are plenty of other targets. Don't hit diesel fuel, because that's hurting, that's hurting the world." He also attributed the global diesel shortage directly to the conflict, saying, "This isn't done by the Middle East, this is done by what's happening with Russia and Ukraine."

The appeal coincides with reported record diesel prices in the United States, which surpassed $6 a gallon on Friday, according to multiple reports. Ukraine has for months been targeting Russia's oil and gas industry with long-range strikes. Kyiv says the strikes target an industry that both funds and directly fuels Moscow's more than four-year-old invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian drone campaign has caused fuel rationing across Russia, despite the country being a key oil and gas exporter, and led Moscow to ban diesel exports in July. The global supply crunch has also been compounded by the war on Iran, which curtailed oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, as noted in several reports.

Escalating Cross-Border Strikes

The appeal came as civilians were killed and injured overnight into Sunday in a fresh exchange of large-scale drone strikes between Russia and Ukraine. In Russia's Tatarstan region, two people were killed and 14 more injured near an oil and industrial hub, according to local officials. The two Russian civilians died after a drone slammed into a tree near their parked car in the city of Nizhnekamsk, according to the office of regional head Rustam Minnikhanov. Nizhnekamsk houses a key cluster of oil refineries and petrochemical, rubber and polymer plants, including some of Russia's largest facilities of their kind.

Ukrainian authorities, meanwhile, reported Russian drone attacks on the Black Sea port of Odesa and a fire near a border crossing with Poland. At least nine people were injured in a "massive" Russian nighttime attack on Odesa, according to Serhii Lysak, who heads the city's military administration. A Russian drone attack on Saturday struck a residential high-rise in Odesa, killing two people and injuring 26 others, Ukrainian officials said. One drone struck near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing with Poland, setting fire to a petrol station, according to Ukraine's top diplomat and a spokesperson for the local customs force. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X: "This is Putin's terror 'knocking' directly on the doors of the EU and NATO. Russian barbarians are at your gate, dear partners."

Targeting Oil Infrastructure

Ukraine also claimed on Sunday to have hit a major oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban, in Russia's Krasnodar region, across from Crimea. The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) agency said its drones struck a key oil processing unit and the refinery's tank farm overnight. Russian forces shot down 389 Ukrainian drones during the night, Russia's defense ministry said Sunday. Ukraine's air force said its air defenses shot down or suppressed 409 Russian drones of various types overnight, including a newer jet-powered version that is faster and more difficult to intercept. It said Russia had attacked Ukraine with 453 drones in total.

Russia has also ramped up its air campaign against Ukraine in recent weeks, using ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones to pierce Ukraine's defenses. Moscow's attacks have targeted Ukraine's power grid ahead of winter in what officials say is meant to demoralize civilians.

Diplomatic Signals

Amid the ongoing hostilities, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow is open to restarting peace talks in autumn featuring Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. "We are not ruling out that possibility. That is, October cannot be ruled out," Peskov told reporters. The comments come after recent meetings involving US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who held talks with Putin in Moscow and with Zelenskyy in Kyiv last weekend.