DOMINANT ANGLE
Helsinki is particularly focused on the trend in diesel prices during the New York week, between Trump's pressure call to Zelensky and the surge in global fuel prices.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to the Financial Times as cited by MTV Uutiset, Trump called Zelensky on Sunday; a Ukrainian official summarizes the message as "diesel, diesel, diesel"
- 02
The average diesel price in the US exceeded $6 per gallon on September 11 and now surpasses $6.5 according to the AAA
- 03
YLE Uutiset reports that President Alexander Stubb is to speak at the UN podium on Tuesday, along with Minister Elina Valtonen and Minister Ville Tavio, on Ukraine, the Middle East, and artificial intelligence
ANALYSIS
Helsinki, Tuesday, September 22, 2026. The Finnish press is covering the opening of the UN General Assembly from the angle of fuel prices rather than diplomatic protocol. Three titles, Iltalehti, MTV Uutiset, and YLE Uutiset, converge on the same mechanism: Ukrainian strikes against Russian refineries have driven up the global diesel price, and it is these prices that are now pushing Donald Trump to intervene directly.
According to the Financial Times, cited by MTV Uutiset, Trump called Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday to pressure him to stop the strikes against Russian refineries. A high-ranking Ukrainian official present during the call summarized the message in three words: "diesel, diesel, diesel". The White House has not commented on this information. Zelensky confirms an "important" exchange on energy security, without confirming pressure to cease the attacks. The two leaders are set to meet this week in New York.
Iltalehti notes that Trump himself exposed the problem on Truth Social: Russia would have "completely lost control" of its diesel industry due to Ukrainian drones, in a war he describes as "ridiculous and endless", recalling that 25,000 people, mostly soldiers, die every month. The average diesel price in the United States exceeded $6 per gallon on September 11 and now surpasses $6.5 according to the AAA, a politically sensitive subject for Trump and the Republican camp.
YLE Uutiset reports on Macron's comments after his meeting with Trump on Monday in New York, deemed "very constructive", focused on Ukraine and the Red Sea, a dossier also related to global prices. YLE highlights that Finnish President Alexander Stubb is set to speak on Tuesday at the podium, alongside Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and Minister of Foreign Trade Ville Tavio, on Ukraine, the Middle East, and artificial intelligence. The high-level week is also expected to decide on the succession to the post of UN Secretary-General, whose term begins in January.
Despite repeated announcements of an energy truce, the strikes continue: Ukraine again targeted a refinery in the Moscow region over the weekend.
