Trump calls attacks on Russian oil refineries the biggest problem for the diesel market

US President Donald Trump said that the biggest problem for the diesel fuel market has been disruptions related to Russia's war against Ukraine and the disabling of Russian oil refineries.

He said this on September 30, answering a question at the White House about a possible ban on diesel fuel exports from the US. The video of the speech is published on YouTube. His words are also cited by CNBC.

"Diesel has been affected much more not because of the Middle East, but because of what is happening in Russia. These refineries are being disabled at rather alarming rates" , Trump said.

According to the US president, if Russian oil refineries had not lost capacity, the current problem with diesel fuel would not exist. Concluding his answer, Trump called what is happening between Russia and Ukraine "the biggest problem for diesel".

During the same conversation, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated that the market remains tense due to a reduction in diesel supplies from several directions at once. According to him, Russian supplies, part of exports from the Middle East, and supplies from China were lost. At the same time, US refineries are operating at record utilization rates, and additional volumes of diesel from Europe are expected soon.

Trump did not rule out the possibility of limiting US diesel fuel exports. According to him, such a step could lower diesel prices, but at the same time push up gasoline prices, so the administration continues to discuss various options.

This is not the first statement from Trump and his administration in recent weeks about the impact of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refining on the global fuel market. On September 21, Trump said that Russia has lost control of its diesel industry due to the war, and a significant number of its refineries have been damaged or temporarily shut down.

Before that, according to Axios, during a phone conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on September 20, Trump repeatedly raised the issue of strikes on Russian oil refineries and linked them to rising global diesel prices. As early as September 15, US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker said that Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian oil refining infrastructure were already having a significant impact on the global energy market.

At the same time, Russian refineries are not the only factor in the deficit. The International Energy Agency noted in its September review that the situation was simultaneously worsened by a reduction in supplies of oil products from the Persian Gulf and disruptions to Russian oil refining following increased Ukrainian strikes. According to the IEA, in August the total net exports of diesel and gasoil from Russia and the Persian Gulf countries were 1.6 million barrels per day lower than in February.

Based on: Donald Trump's speech, CNBC, Kurs Ukrainy