A day before sitting down opposite Volodymyr Zelensky , Donald Trump sent a message that went in two directions at once. The US president said on Monday that Russia has “lost control” of the diesel industry because of the war in Ukraine , repeating his call for an end to hostilities.
“Russia, unfortunately, has lost control of the diesel industry due to its war with Ukraine. A large number of diesel refineries have been blown up and, at least temporarily, put out of operation,” he said in a social media post.
The statement did not stop at the observation. “This ridiculous and endless war with Ukraine must end. The whole world is suffering, as 25,000 people , mostly soldiers, are killed every month. What a shame!”, he added.
The statement becomes particularly interesting if read together with what he had said a few days earlier from Ireland. At that time, he had directly asked Kiev to stop attacking Russian diesel infrastructure, arguing that the strikes were causing a shortage of fuel on the world market. Now the same reality, the destroyed refineries, is presented as an indication that Moscow is paying a heavy price for continuing the war. In other words, the same fact functions as an argument to two recipients.
The timing is clearly deliberate. The statements come a day before the two presidents are scheduled to meet in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly . The message to Moscow is that the war is wearing it down economically. The message to Kiev is that Washington is seeking an end, not an extension. And the message to the American public, with the midterm elections approaching, is that the president sees peace and energy price stabilization as directly linked issues.
