IEA reports Gulf fuel exports fell to quarter of pre-war levels in August
Chess grandmaster and longtime Putin critic Garry Kasparov chastised President Donald Trump on Sunday for blaming Ukraine rather than Russia or himself for global fuel shortages, since rising gas prices are “directly connected to his bumbling in the Middle East.”
“Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing: He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump told reporters Sunday in a gaggle on the first tee box of the Irish Open in Ireland. “Let him go after targets, but not diesel fuel because he’s causing a shortage of diesel fuel. This isn’t done by the Middle East. This is done by what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine.”
Hours later, aboard Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump reiterated the demand. Asked by reporters on board which war he thought would end sooner — the Ukraine-Russia war or the U.S.-Iran war — Trump replied that his “problem” with the former is that diesel fuel “comes from Russia and the Russia plants are being hit by Ukraine.” He added: “And I’ve asked President Zelensky not to hit the diesel plants, refineries. Diesel is being driven up by the fact that it’s having a hard time coming out of Russia and that’s a case that hurts the world we got to stop.”
“Don’t hit diesel fuel, because that’s hurting the world,” Trump said separately. “We don’t want him to hit diesel fuel.”
The IEA’s September market report confirmed that fuel exports from Gulf nations in August were about a quarter of their volumes prior to the late February start of the U.S.-Iran war. Intensified Ukrainian attacks have compounded those losses by causing disruptions to Russia’s refining system and contributing to a near-halt in product exports. Together, Russia and the Gulf nations accounted for almost 45% of global seaborne diesel and gasoil trade before the disruptions, the IEA, which operates within the framework of the OECD, said.
Global crude markets reflected the broader fuel strain on Sunday. Brent crude, the international benchmark, traded at $107.31 a barrel after Saudi Arabia shut a pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz following a drone attack on the line the previous week.
Trump’s public comments came two days after he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, according to a Kremlin readout from Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who said the two leaders had spoken for an hour, with the conversation focused on the war in Ukraine. Trump said his administration had spoken to Zelensky about Kyiv’s attacks on Russian diesel refineries, but did not say what his response was.
Ukraine did not immediately respond publicly to Trump’s comments.
Kasparov chastised Trump for blaming Ukraine rather than Russia or himself. “I’m sure Zelensky would be happy to stop striking Russian energy infrastructure if Putin left Ukraine and stopped murdering Ukrainian civilians with missiles and drones every day. But Trump would never suggest that,” Kasparov said online.
Trump has long been accused of being weak when it comes to the United States’ adversaries and praising their leaders, including Putin, while squeezing allies and insulting their heads of state. The U.S. president has repeatedly called Putin “a very smart guy” and described their relationship as being on good terms.
Kyiv’s three-year campaign of long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries, including diesel-producing facilities, has been described by Zelensky as “the most effective sanctions” against Russia and has “significantly” restricted Russia’s ability to wage war. In July, Zelensky formed a military command specifically for long-range attacks to degrade Russia’s war-fighting capabilities, signaling an expansion of the campaign.