Trump insists Ukraine war more to blame for energy costs than Iran war

He also confirmed that he was considering a diesel export ban to stabilize prices.

Published: September 28, 2026 9:39am

President Donald Trump on Monday insisted that the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia was more to blame for rising energy costs than the conflict with Iran.

"The big problem is the refineries in Russia are being blown up," Trump told reporters. "This isn't really a Middle Eastern problem, this is more of a Russia problem — that Ukraine and Russia are going at it and Ukraine is blowing up diesel refineries in Russia because they do a lot of refining."

He also confirmed that he was considering a diesel export ban to stabilize prices. Trump further stated that he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and encouraged him to scale back his attacks on Russian refineries.

Trump's attempt to shift the blame for higher energy prices from the Iran war to the Ukraine war comes ahead of the midterm elections and amid polling data showing the Iran war to be decidedly unpopular.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.

The Facts Inside Our Reporter's Notebook

Just the News Spotlight

Support Just the News