Trump said he told Volodymyr Zelensky "You've got to take it easy on the refineries," and that the Ukrainian president's reply was "Well, we'll probably do that." Speaking to reporters, Trump said the "big problem" is that refineries in Russia are being blown up, calling it "more of a Russia problem" than a Middle Eastern one, and that Ukraine targets them "because they do a lot of the refining." "We're causing a world problem," he said. "There are other things he can do."

A day earlier, Trump said he wants Zelensky to settle with Putin and Putin to settle with Zelensky, and that he hopes they will make a deal "maybe before the heavy winter," adding "he's going along, and Putin's going along." He first pressed Zelensky to halt the strikes in a Sunday call over concerns they were exacerbating a global diesel shortage and pushing up prices, people familiar with the call told the FT, with a senior Ukrainian official describing the message as "diesel, diesel… diesel." US diesel prices have hit a record $6.51 a gallon, and Zelensky says the strikes have destroyed 45% of Russia's diesel refining capacity. Javier Blas countered that Kyiv's refinery strikes are only part of the diesel problem, and that Trump is "wrong in singling them out as all of the problem."

Zelensky has refused to halt the strikes unilaterally, saying "Diesel may matter to some, but our lives matter more," and argues the price spike is driven primarily by the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz. He says Ukraine is ready for an energy ceasefire if Russia stops attacking its electricity, heating and water supply, a proposal Washington agreed to convey to Moscow. Negotiations will resume in 10 days ahead of a proposed trilateral meeting in the UAE, part of a US push that also includes reopening the Black Sea grain corridor, after Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev met Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in New York to discuss the latest US proposals. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a meeting between Trump and Putin is not currently planned and that the Kremlin is willing to talk with Zelensky only in Moscow.