Ukraine Hits Samara Oil Facility as Strikes Continue Despite Trump

Ukraine struck an oil facility in Russia’s Samara region overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday. Writing on social media, he added that a Russian vessel in the Black Sea was hit.
A drone launch and storage site in the Oryol region was also attacked, according to Zelenskyy’s statement. The strikes continue despite pressure from US President Donald Trump.
Trump has urged Zelenskyy in a private phone call to halt attacks on Russian refineries. He has said the strikes are making global diesel prices worse. “Diesel is really hurt much more, not by the Middle East, but by what’s going on in Russia,” Trump said on Wednesday.
Ukrainian estimates say the campaign has knocked out more than 45 percent of Russia’s refining capacity in recent months. Russia has faced fuel rationing in some areas and long queues at petrol stations. Russia also extended its diesel export ban through October.
Energy analysts say the war in Iran and wider market disruption are the main drivers of high fuel prices. But they add that the refinery attacks have made the squeeze worse.
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