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Originally published at CDM.press.
According to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian drones are attacking to deny the Russian war machine fuel. But the record shows otherwise. The strikes have knocked out Russian diesel and gasoline supply, the same fuels that set prices for American drivers and truckers, just weeks before the U.S. midterm elections. Meanwhile the Russian gas that Europe buys has stayed off limits.
At current prices, U.S. diesel fuel has increased from $3.81 on the eve of the Iran war to $6.29. According to reporting by PolitiFact September 15, a surge in successful Ukrainian attacks on Russian industrial sites is a big reason for the pressure on diesel prices, analysts told the outlet. Trump said it plainly on Sept. 13: “Mr. Zelenskyy has to do one thing: He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia.”
Trump asked, Zelensky stalled. In an October 14 interview with Piers Morgan, Zelensky said Ukraine held off for just three days after Trump’s announced energy ceasefire. “We didn’t attack during three days any kind of energy objects,” he said. He then told the Financial Times the pause was over: “The block is out. We’re done.” Within hours, a fire had broken out at a refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region, reported Reuters.
The President of Ukraine seems to be perfectly clear on what he wants from Trump in return for not attacking Russian refineries. And it’s not a battlefield objective. “We don’t want to be involved in some diesel deal. I don’t want to be involved,” he said in one exchange. “If he attacks us, we will respond. This is our rule. Don’t involve us in some diesel deals.” He then went on to ask for something a little more substantial: “Can you give me missiles for Patriot? Because when I don’t attack them, because you asked me not to attack them, they will attack me. It’s fair if you give me something with which to defend myself. That’s the minimum I’m asking for.” And when he asks, he says, “your answer is blocking Starlink.”
He’s trying to get something out of Washington, but here’s the reality check. Zelensky acknowledged in the interview that there’s a lot of domestic politics going on with Trump, and Morgan suggested there’s some sort of self interest here to divert attention from higher gasoline prices before the midterms. A refinery campaign that squeezes the pump price Trump is accountable for, with a temporary reprieve offered only for a price, looks like an effort to gain leverage in the American election rather than a way to win the war.
Ukraine is skipping a major target. A report by the German group Urgewald, cited by the Brussels Signal, notes that Europe took a record 12.18 million tonnes of Russian Arctic LNG from the Yamal plant in the first nine months of 2026. This is 9.5% more than in the same period of the previous year, and 85% of all recorded deliveries from the plant went to Europe. With an estimated bill for the period of 7.88 billion euros, this means that 45 billion euros worth of Russian LNG have been imported by Europe since 2022, while the total bill for all types of Russian fossil fuels imported by Europe since the invasion began has reached more than 238 billion euros.
Yamal is reportedly the last of Russia’s large-scale LNG projects to still be able to set sail for European ports. While Ukraine has been attacking Russian oil depots and Novatek condensate plants, and drones sent by Zelensky have penetrated deep into the heart of Siberia, we found no report of a strike on the Yamal LNG plant. This is the one Russian energy export that Europe needs and Russia can deliver safely.
In France, we found the clearest case. Paris imports almost three quarters of the EU’s Yamal LNG shipments, as of September. TotalEnergies holds a 20% stake in the project. Asked about Marine Le Pen’s pledge to stop financing Ukraine within six months of her taking office as French president, the Ukrainian leader waved it off. “I think the experience of our army, technologically, is very important for our partners. French industry can only win with these technologies, with this cooperation and co-production. I think Madame Le Pen is not deeply familiar with some of the details.”
So the pattern continues. European capitals scold Washington over the Russian energy. They buy it at record levels until their respective contracts expire on Jan. 1, 2027. Meanwhile, the fuel that the truckers, farmers and families of America are paying for in higher prices to be transported is knocked out by Kyiv’s drones, while the gas that Europeans pay huge sums for is left untouched, and both sides call this solidarity.
All of this is taking place in the U.S. just weeks before the American people go to the polls and vote in the upcoming elections. If his intention was to damage Russia, you would think he would go after the LNG money that is pouring into Moscow’s coffers. Instead, the diesel strikes land just in time to hit the pocketbooks of American voters, and that tells you whose interests this ‘solidarity’ campaign really serves.
