MOSCOW, Sept 14 - The Kremlin on Monday expressed approval of U.S. President Donald Trump urging Ukraine to cease strikes on facilities that produce diesel in Russia, and said recent disruption to global energy markets was primarily linked to unrest in the Gulf region.
On Sunday, President Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to stop targeting Russian diesel infrastructure, saying those strikes were creating a shortage of the fuel that was "hurting the world."
Russian officials say a series of long-range Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries in recent months has lowered fuel production in Russia and has led to shortages, including of gasoline, in multiple regions across the country. Moscow says the strikes have had a direct impact on domestic fuel availability.
Ukraine, for its part, has said that its operations against Russian refineries are intended to raise the cost to Moscow of continuing its invasion of Ukraine. Russian authorities have linked the production disruptions to broader supply strain.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the presidential appeal during a daily conference call with reporters, saying: "Any call on the Kyiv regime to stop attacks on civilian economic infrastructure can only be welcomed."
Peskov also pointed to the wider international context, saying the situation in global energy markets had been worsening mainly because of "instability and new rounds of escalation in the Persian Gulf region." He added that an export ban on diesel should help bolster the domestic market in Russia.
Numerous Russian regions have reported gasoline shortages, a problem Moscow says is affecting national morale ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for September 18 to 20. Officials hope measures such as the export ban will improve the supply situation at home.
Context and implications
The Kremlin framed the U.S. president's call as a positive development, while emphasizing two concurrent strains on fuel markets: the damage to Russian refining capacity from drone attacks and heightened instability in the Persian Gulf region. Russian leaders are pointing to both factors as drivers of recent market turbulence and domestic shortages.
The comments come as Russia prepares for parliamentary elections later this month, at a time when fuel availability has become a topical domestic issue.