DOMINANT ANGLE
Kyiv is interpreting the diesel crisis through the impact of its strikes on Russian refineries, which Donald Trump identified as the primary factor behind the surge in American prices.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
From the Oval Office on Wednesday, September 30, Trump stated that diesel is affected not by the Middle East but by Russia, whose refineries are being "taken offline at a fairly alarming rate".
- 02
Chris Wright, US Secretary of Energy, cites diesel export losses from the Middle East and China, and says the administration is expecting announcements of additional supply from the Europeans.
- 03
According to Reuters, as cited by Kyiv Post, US gasoline has risen by more than 40% in a year and diesel has reached a record $6.53 per gallon.
ANALYSIS
Kyiv, October 2, 2026. In the Ukrainian press, the American diesel file is first read as a challenge to Ukraine. Kyiv Post and Ukrainska Pravda report that Donald Trump, speaking from the Oval Office on Wednesday, September 30, once again designated Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries as the main cause of the rise in diesel prices in the United States.
The American president stated: "Diesel is much more affected, not by the Middle East, but by what is happening in Russia, because these diesel refineries are being put out of service at a fairly alarming rate." He added that without these strikes, "we would not have a diesel problem" and that what happened between Russia and Ukraine is "the biggest problem" for diesel. According to Kyiv Post, he also mentioned a possible American ban on diesel exports, which could lower domestic prices, at the cost of a negative effect on gasoline prices.
The two media outlets put these comments into a series. Ukrainska Pravda recalls that Trump had already called on Volodymyr Zelensky to stop striking Russian diesel, citing a shortage. It also notes that at the beginning of July, in front of the Ukrainian president, he had described these strikes as an escalation capable of ending the war, and that in September he said he had had an "excellent" conversation with Vladimir Putin.
Kyiv Post provides a broader explanation, that of Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who cites losses in diesel exports from the Middle East, which are being restored, and from China: "There are many interruptions." Wright added that the administration expects European countries to soon announce additional volumes. The media outlet cites Reuters: gasoline has risen by more than 40% in a year in the United States and diesel has reached a record $6.53 per gallon.
The articles in the corpus do not detail the request made to France and Germany to tap into their reserves, or the meeting of the European Commission. The focus is on how Washington attributes the market tension to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and what this means for the continuation of Ukrainian strikes on the Russian refining apparatus.
