Trump repeatedly urged Zelenskyy to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries — Axios

President Donald Trump made repeated requests to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cease drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, according to Axios, which cited a source familiar with their September 20 phone call. The Ukrainian strikes, which targeted the Moscow Oil Refinery, were a major point of discussion during the call, with Trump explicitly connecting them to the surge in global diesel prices.

This was not the first time Trump had brought up the issue; the U.S. president had previously publicly urged Zelenskyy to stop the attacks, citing their impact on the global fuel market. Following the call, Zelenskyy and Trump agreed to meet in person in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, with the meeting slated to occur on September 22.

The call took place shortly after Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 into law, which broadened executive power to impose new tariffs, sanctions, and economic restrictions on Moscow. The legislation, which Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal jointly sponsored, proposed a 500% tariff on goods imported from nations that continued purchasing Russian oil and other raw materials.

The bill faced significant dilution before passing the U.S. House of Representatives on September 16 and receiving Trump's signature on September 19.