Trump Cites Russia's Refinery Losses, Proposes an Energy-Strike Truce Ahead of Zelensky Meeting

President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social at 08:03am EDT on September 21, 2026, that "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," per the post's own record on Trump's Truth. He called the war "ridiculous and never ending" and said it "must be ended," adding that "25,000 people, mostly soldiers" are being killed each month - a figure Kyiv Post reported as Trump's own claim, not independently verified by any outlet covering the post.

President Trump's Truth Social post, 21 Sep 2026, 08:03am EDT. Screenshot: Truth Social (@realDonaldTrump).

The post lands the day before Trump and Zelensky meet in New York

Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky are scheduled to meet on September 22 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Kyiv Independent reported, to discuss a potential mutual Ukrainian-Russian pause on strikes against energy infrastructure. The refineries Trump referenced are the same class of target AirVeto covered directly: Ukraine's September 20 drone strike hit the Gazprom Neft refinery in Moscow's Kapotnya district - Ukraine's largest drone strike on Moscow to date, per AirVeto's own coverage at the time.

Zelensky is open to a trade; the Kremlin wants something first

Zelensky responded that "Ukraine's energy sector, critical infrastructure, and our food exports must stop being targets for Russia, and this will lead to matching de-escalation steps on our part" - a conditional yes, tied to Russia stopping first. Kyiv Independent reports the strike campaign itself is deliberate strategy, not incidental damage: "Kyiv has been consistently targeting Russian oil depots and refineries throughout the war to increase pressure on Moscow's economy and undermine its ability to wage war."

The Kremlin's own response, per the same reporting, called the energy-truce idea "a 'very good idea'" - but attached a condition of its own: lifting sanctions against Russia. Both sides have now put a price on the same proposal; neither has agreed to the other's terms, and no truce exists yet as of publication.

The live map shows current conditions over the Baltic region.