look news india
The ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine has now reached a very destructive and strategic turn. US President Donald Trump has called this war ‘ridiculous and never-ending’ and has strongly appealed to both the countries to stop the conflict immediately. In a sharp statement released on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump claimed that Russia has lost control of its diesel and energy industries due to drone and missile attacks by Ukraine.
Expressing deep sorrow over the human tragedy of this war, Trump revealed that an average of 25,000 people are losing their lives every month on the war front. In view of the continuous deaths on the battlefield and the global energy crisis, he has demanded from the world leaders and both the countries to end it immediately. This statement of Trump before meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting in New York is creating a stir in international diplomacy.
In a major change to its defense strategy, Ukraine has started targeting major oil refineries, depots and energy infrastructure located hundreds of kilometers inside Russia. Precise drone strikes have been carried out on several major oil refineries, from major Moscow-based refineries to the Black Sea and Volga region. These attacks have had a direct impact on Russia’s biggest energy exports—diesel and refined products.
Russia’s major refineries have experienced a significant decline in production capacity due to damage to primary distillation units (CDUs). Russia has been a major global exporter of diesel as well as meeting its domestic needs. However, after these attacks, work at many plants has come to a complete halt and Russia has had to impose strict restrictions on the export of petrol and diesel several times to avoid fuel shortage in its domestic market. Due to Western sanctions on the critical components of the plants, repairing them has also become a big challenge for Moscow.
The most painful aspect that Donald Trump highlighted in his statement is the huge casualty rate of soldiers and civilians on the battlefield. According to Trump, about 25,000 soldiers and people are dying every month due to the fierce shelling of the war, drone attacks and urban conflicts. The ongoing intense fighting in Donbass and border areas in eastern Ukraine has kept this figure increasingly alarming.
Despite the uprooting of thousands of families, military casualties and destruction of infrastructure, no permanent settlement has yet been reached between the two sides. Ukraine insists on its sovereignty and the return of land, while Russia maintains its security concerns and wants to maintain control over the conquered territories. Trump has warned that if this genocide is not stopped immediately, it will push the economy and stability of not only Eastern Europe but the entire world into an abyss.
The impact of these attacks on Russia’s oil industry is not limited to the war zone only, but its direct impact is on international oil markets and diesel prices. Diesel is considered the backbone of industrial transportation, farming and logistics in Europe and the global market. Due to the decline in Russian refining capacity, a sharp increase in the crack spread (difference between crude oil and refined product) of diesel is being seen in the international market.
The global supply chain is already under pressure due to tensions in the Red Sea and West Asia. In such a situation, if Russia’s refined product is out of the market, then freight transportation will be expensive and it will have a direct impact on the inflation of food items and general consumer products. Energy experts believe that if attacks on refineries continue, global fuel prices could reach new record levels in the coming days.
Donald Trump has been continuously claiming that by staying in power, he can end this war by bringing it to the negotiating table in a few days. He has repeatedly advocated forcing both sides to reach an agreement through military aid and sanctions pressure. Trump believes that supplying billions of dollars of arms without any concrete agreement is only prolonging the destruction and deaths.
However, the path to ceasefire is not so easy. There is also doubt over temporary agreements made in the past to prevent attacks on energy infrastructure. Ukraine says it will be ready to stop attacks on energy targets only if Russia stops attacks on its electricity and civilian infrastructure. At such a critical juncture, this new appeal by Trump is being considered a big step towards putting pressure on the international community, which will decide whether a concrete path to peace talks emerges in the coming months or this process of destruction continues.