Trump repeatedly calls Zelenskyy "Diesel, diesel, diesel!"... Pressures Ukraine to halt Russian airstrikes over soaring prices

[Financial News] As domestic diesel prices skyrocketed to record highs ahead of the November midterm elections, U.S. President Donald Trump has launched an all-out pressure campaign against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to immediately halt attacks on Russian oil facilities. This is an urgent strategic move to stabilize oil prices by tying down Ukraine, which is resisting by striking Russia's energy infrastructure, as his domestic political standing is being shaken by soaring global energy prices.
According to foreign media outlets including the Financial Times (FT) on the 21st (local time), President Trump strongly demanded that the Ukrainian military stop drone and missile attacks, citing the global diesel shortage and skyrocketing prices during a phone call with President Zelenskyy the previous day.
A high-ranking Ukrainian official familiar with the situation during the call said, "President Trump's core message was 'diesel, diesel, diesel,'" adding, "He desperately wanted Russian diesel to be supplied smoothly to the global market to alleviate the price burden."
On the 21st, the day after the call, President Trump continued his public pressure through the social media platform Truth Social. He wrote, "Unfortunately, Russia has lost control of its diesel industry due to the war with Ukraine," adding that "multiple oil refineries have been blown up and operations have been suspended." He further raised his voice, stating, "This absurd and endless war in Ukraine must end," and adding, "25,000 soldiers lose their lives every month, and the whole world is suffering."
These actions by President Trump are directly linked to the rapid rise in prices within the United States. As of the 19th, the consumer price of diesel in the United States surpassed $6.50 per gallon (approximately 3.8 liters) for the first time, breaking the all-time high. This represents a surge of more than 70% compared with last February, when the conflict in the Middle East broke out, dealing a devastating blow not only to cargo truck drivers but also to farmers facing the autumn harvest season.
With public sentiment boiling over, including demands for a "ban on diesel exports" even in agricultural regions that are Republican strongholds, claiming that "soaring diesel prices are killing farm incomes," the Trump administration is on high alert with about 40 days left until the midterm elections.
However, Ukraine is pushing back against the U.S. attitude of shifting responsibility for the global energy crisis onto it. According to a recent analysis by the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) in Ukraine, the decisive factor causing the global diesel and oil supply shortages was not Ukraine's drone attacks, but the prolonged war between the United States and Iran.
Some point out that President Trump is intentionally delaying the implementation of the sanctions law against Russia, which he signed last week, in order to tame Ukraine and use it as leverage in negotiations.
On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly skeptical about halting attacks on energy facilities and is instead preparing large-scale retaliatory airstrikes to cripple Ukraine's infrastructure this winter.
President Trump and President Zelenskyy are scheduled to meet in person to hold talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on the 22nd. While acknowledging that there is "diplomatic momentum," President Zelenskyy signaled that he would not back down easily, stating that "our drone attacks are a real force pressuring the aggressor Russia," suggesting that an intense war of nerves is expected to unfold between the two leaders.

[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter