U.S. President Donald Trump said Russia has “lost control” of its oil refining industry amid continued Ukrainian strikes on refineries.
He made the claim in a post on Truth Social:
Russia has unfortunately lost control of its Diesel Oil Industry due to its War with Ukraine. A large number of their Diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission. This ridiculous and never ending War with Ukraine must be ended. The whole World suffers as 25,000 people, mostly soldiers, are being killed each month. What a shame!
Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russian oil refineries over the past year, hitting plants far from the border. The attacks have damaged equipment and forced refineries to halt operations. The result has been recurring fuel crises and gasoline shortages across most of the country. A separate global crisis is unfolding as well, triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about a fifth of the world’s oil exports before the new war in the Middle East.
Trump said in mid-September that he had urged Volodymyr Zelensky to halt strikes on Russian diesel-producing facilities. “There are plenty of other targets. Don’t hit diesel fuel. That’s hurting the world,” Trump said. He repeated the request during a phone call with Zelensky on September 20, according to Axios.
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