Trump blames Ukrainian refinery strikes for US gasoline price rise
In short
US President Donald Trump said rising gasoline prices in the United States are caused by Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and by refinery closures in Democratic-run states such as California, and not by the Strait of Hormuz. Russian business outlets and the state agency TASS reported the statement, made in a post on Truth Social. Kommersant wrote that refining outages can feed into US fuel prices through the global oil products market, while noting that the estimate it cited covers disruptions in several regions and does not isolate the effect of Russian plants.
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US President Donald Trump said on 5 October that rising gasoline prices in the United States are driven by Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and by refinery closures in Democratic-run states such as California, and not by the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. RBC, Interfax, Kommersant and Vedomosti, as well as the state agency TASS, all reported the statement, which Trump published on his social network Truth Social. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
“The rise in gasoline prices is no longer connected with the Strait of Hormuz, because now almost every day a record number of barrels passes through it, but with the refineries — those that Ukraine blows up in Russia and those that the ‘Dumocrats’ close in blue states such as California,” Trump wrote, according to Interfax and Kommersant. Vedomosti quoted him as saying: “Now the key word is refineries.” [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Interfax reported that earlier in October Trump said European countries had agreed to release large quantities of diesel and oil from their strategic reserves to bring fuel prices down. He subsequently said he had abandoned the idea of a temporary ban on diesel exports, and expressed confidence that gasoline prices would fall once the United States finds a solution to its conflict with Iran. [ 2 ]
Kommersant reported that Trump had earlier called on Ukraine to stop attacks on Russian refineries because of a shortage of fuel on the world market, and said Zelensky had agreed to weaken the strikes in order to stabilise global energy prices. Vedomosti reported a different emphasis from Kyiv: on 3 October Zelensky said Ukraine intended to increase the intensity of strikes on Russian refineries, after which Russia’s Defence Ministry said on 4 October that it would step up strikes on military and military-industrial sites in Ukraine. The Kremlin had welcomed Trump’s appeal on 14 September, and Putin had said he ordered strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities in response to attacks on Russian refining plants, Vedomosti reported. [ 3 , 4 ]
Kommersant wrote that strikes on refining facilities can affect US gasoline through the global market for oil products, since shutting plants reduces the supply of finished fuel and the shortage pushes prices up. It cited a November 2025 Bloomberg estimate that linked attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, together with disruptions at plants in Asia and Africa and closures in Europe and the United States, to the disappearance of millions of barrels of gasoline and diesel from the world market. Kommersant noted, however, that this estimate describes the combined effect of disruptions in different regions and does not isolate the share of Russian plants in the US price. It added that in March 2024 Washington, according to the Financial Times, had urged Kyiv to stop attacks on Russian refineries over concerns about gasoline prices. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
Trump’s public attribution ties the war in Ukraine directly to US pump prices, at a moment when Kyiv has said it will intensify strikes on Russian refineries and Moscow has said it will hit back. Kommersant noted that attacks on refining capacity can reach US gasoline prices through the global market for oil products, though the documents give no figure for that effect and Kommersant itself said the cited data does not separate the Russian plants’ share.
Key facts
- US President Donald Trump said the rise in US gasoline prices is caused by Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and by refinery closures in Democratic-run states such as California. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Trump said the Strait of Hormuz is no longer the cause of higher prices, because record volumes of barrels pass through it almost daily. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- Trump published the statement on his social network Truth Social. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Interfax reported that earlier in October Trump said European countries had agreed to release large amounts of diesel and oil from strategic reserves, and that he then dropped the idea of a temporary ban on diesel exports. [ 2 ]
- Trump said he was confident gasoline prices would fall once the United States finds a solution to its conflict with Iran. [ 2 ]
- Kommersant reported that Trump earlier urged Ukraine to stop attacks on Russian refineries because of a fuel shortage on the world market, and said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had agreed to weaken the strikes. [ 3 ]
- Vedomosti reported that on 3 October Zelensky said Kyiv intended to increase the intensity of strikes on Russian refineries, and that on 4 October Russia’s Defence Ministry said it would step up strikes on military and military-industrial sites in Ukraine. [ 4 ]
- Vedomosti reported that on 14 September the Kremlin welcomed Trump’s call to Kyiv to stop strikes on Russian refineries, and that President Vladimir Putin had said he ordered strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities in response to attacks on Russian refining plants. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries are in fact a main driver of US gasoline prices. Kommersant, the only outlet to examine the mechanism, wrote that the Bloomberg estimate it cites describes the combined effect of disruptions in Asia, Africa, Europe and the United States and does not isolate the share of Russian plants.
- Trump’s statement that Zelensky agreed to weaken strikes on Russian refineries. It appears only in Kommersant’s account, while Vedomosti reports that on 3 October Zelensky said Kyiv would increase the intensity of such strikes — the two accounts point in opposite directions.
- The size and duration of the US gasoline price increase, and any measures the US administration is taking in response. The documents give no figures for the price rise and no policy steps beyond Trump’s comments on strategic reserves, the diesel export ban and the conflict with Iran.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The Kremlin welcomes Trump’s call to Kyiv to stop strikes on Russian refineries, according to Vedomosti. [ 4 ]
- Zelensky says Kyiv intends to increase the intensity of strikes on Russian refineries, Vedomosti reports. [ 4 ]
- Russia’s Defence Ministry says it will step up strikes on military and military-industrial sites in Ukraine after Zelensky’s statement, Vedomosti reports. [ 4 ]
- RBC publishes its report on Trump’s statement. [ 1 ]
- Interfax publishes the full quote from Trump’s Truth Social post. [ 2 ]
- Kommersant publishes its report, including background on the market effect of refinery strikes. [ 3 ]
- Vedomosti publishes its report with Russian and Ukrainian statements on strikes. [ 4 ]
- TASS publishes its summary of Trump’s remarks. [ 5 ]