U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to insist on an agreement on a mutual halt to Ukrainian and Russian strikes against energy infrastructure during his meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York. The Guardian reports, according to UNN.
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The presidents’ meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday on the sidelines of the high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly. The publication links Trump’s position, in particular, to the sharp rise in global diesel prices.
Ukraine has recently stepped up long-range strikes against Russia’s energy infrastructure. Last weekend, Ukrainian forces carried out a large-scale attack on the Moscow region, during which a major oil refinery in Moscow was hit.
Trump calls for strikes on Russian oil refineries to stop
On Monday, Trump said that Ukraine’s strikes had knocked out a significant portion of Russia’s diesel production capacity. At the same time, the U.S. president called on Kyiv to stop such attacks because of a fuel shortage on the global market.
According to The Guardian, during his visit to Ireland last week, Trump also urged Zelenskyy not to attack Russian diesel production facilities. On Sunday, the presidents held a phone call during which, according to the Financial Times, the issue of diesel fuel was one of the main topics.
The average price of diesel fuel in the United States reached a record $6.50 per gallon on Monday, compared with $3.19 a year earlier. Prices rose amid the war with Iran, shipping restrictions through the Strait of Hormuz, and a reduction in Russian refining capacity.
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was ready for reciprocal de-escalation measures if Russia stopped strikes against Ukrainian energy facilities, critical infrastructure, and facilities connected with food exports.
Last week, Trump said that an agreement on an energy truce between Ukraine and Russia had allegedly been reached. However, as The Guardian notes, the agreement was not actually finalized, and Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy and other critical infrastructure continued.