President Donald Trump reacts as he speaks to members of the media on board Air Force One en route from Scotland, Britain, to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, July 29, 2025. REUTERS Evelyn Hockstein
As surging costs threaten to turn more and more voters against Donald Trump and the GOP, officials leaked to the Financial Times that the president pleaded for help from a world leader during a recent phone call.
As Trump's war with Iran continues with no end in sight, disruptions to the global oil supply have sent gas prices climbing once again. In particular, diesel prices hit an all-time high of $6.50 per gallon on average, threatening to create a knock-on effect that increases prices across the entire economy. Given that almost all of the trucks that haul virtually every sort of product across the U.S. run exclusively on diesel fuel, experts warn that higher prices in that category will result in higher shipping costs, which will then be passed on to consumers.
While Trump has frequently attempted to dismiss affordability concerns and label them a "hoax," reports indicate that he is acutely aware of the issue now facing the country with this diesel crunch, and sought a potential solution during a recent phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to a Monday report from the Financial Times.
"Donald Trump pressed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a call on Sunday to halt Kyiv’s strikes on Russian refineries over concerns that the attacks are exacerbating a global diesel shortage and pushing up prices, according to people familiar with the call," the outlet detailed. "The US president’s main message was about 'diesel, diesel. . . diesel' and urging Zelenskyy to order his military to cease their drone and missile attacks, a senior Ukrainian official who was on the call told the FT."
The report continued: "Another senior Ukrainian official familiar with the call said that Trump emphasised he was very worried about the rising price of diesel and wanted to ensure Russian supplies could reach the global market to provide relief."
The call came shortly after Ukraine launched what has been touted as its largest-ever drone strike against Moscow, hitting a major oil refinery and killing two people. Zelensky said of the call that it had been an "important conversation" and added that "There is diplomatic momentum."
Trump himself commented on the strike in a post to Truth Social, tying it to the troubles facing the global diesel industry.
"Russia has unfortunately lost control of its Diesel Oil Industry due to its War with Ukraine. A large number of their Diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission,” Trump's post read. “This ridiculous and never ending War with Ukraine must be ended. The whole World suffers as 25,000 people, mostly soldiers, are being killed each month. What a shame!”
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