What did Zelenskyy say about Trump's diesel price claims on Diary of a CEO?

Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Donald Trump's claim false. Russia's diesel export volume is so small, he said, that it has zero effect on prices in the United States. Ukraine hits Russian refineries only in retaliation for Russian strikes on its power grid, and he said it is unfair that Trump pins Russia's aggression on him while blaming energy prices that, in his view, trace to the blocked Strait of Hormuz.

Zelenskyy said he has asked Trump to broker an energy ceasefire, which Putin refuses.
His alternative was Patriot air defense missiles, funded by Europe, to protect Ukraine's grid without striking anyone.
Trump's clip, played on the show, said Zelenskyy could have settled the war many times and should stop hitting refineries.

▸In their words

“They make money on diesel and spend it on weapons.” Volodymyr Zelenskyy · at 1:44:20 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett (2026-10-22). Read the whole episode summary →

▸More from this episode

Q2Does Zelenskyy think Russia would have invaded Ukraine if Trump had been president?Q3Why does Zelenskyy call a ceasefire with Russia a huge compromise?Q4What did Zelenskyy tell Biden when he offered to evacuate him from Kyiv?Q5When does Zelenskyy say the Russia-Ukraine war actually began?Q6Why did Russia fail to take Kyiv in 2022, according to Zelenskyy?Q7What does Zelenskyy say Russia is demanding in eastern Ukraine?Q8Does Zelenskyy think Putin will use nuclear weapons in Ukraine?

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