Topline
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said ‘American-linked ships’ or “American oil supplies” have been targeted by Ukraine in the its ongoing war with Russia, adding these attacks were “probably not” deliberate as the Trump administration begins pushing for an energy ceasefire between the two countries at the United Nations General Assembly.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives at the United Nations General Assembly.
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Key Facts
Speaking to “Fox and Friends” on Tuesday, Rubio said U.S.-linked ships have been targeted by Ukraine “over the last few months on a number of occasions,” although admitted it was done “probably not deliberately.”
Rubio did not provide any immediate details about these ships, but said “that’s something that needs to be addressed”—making the comments hours before President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Rubio said Trump “has always wanted to end this war and is prepared to do anything he can to bring it to an end,” adding that he was “hopeful that something can happen there.”
It was not immediately clear how these ships were linked to the U.S., and the State Department did not immediately return a request for comment from Forbes.
What to Watch For
Trump and Zelenskyy are expected to meet at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday. The two leaders previously spoke on the phone on Sunday, the Ukrainian president said on social media, who said he felt “diplomatic momentum” for de-escalation in the war and addressing crucial security questions for his country. Trump is expected to push for an “energy ceasefire” at the meeting, multiple outlets reported.
Tangent
Rubio did not offer any details about the attacks in his “Fox and Friends” appearance on Tuesday. However, in August, a U.S. official told Bloomberg that Ukraine agreed to stop targeting non-Russian tankers in the Black Sea after talks in late July. Ukraine had reportedly been targeting ships leaving the Russian port of Novorossiysk, which has an important terminal for a pipeline carrying crude oil from Kazakhstan.
Key Background
The push for an energy ceasefire in the ongoing war in Ukraine comes as the Trump administration tries to fight rising prices for diesel fuel, which have been exacerbated by the U.S.’s own war with Iran. The average price for diesel in the U.S. has reached record highs in the last month, and is currently at $6.51 per gallon, according to the most recent data from GasBuddy. The high prices could raise prices for consumer goods in the U.S., such as food and groceries. Russia is a major energy exporter, but a wave of strikes against Russian refineries from Ukrainian forces has impacted its own energy market and forced it to ban diesel exports through September. The country is set to extend this ban even further after the end of the month, Bloomberg reported on Monday. Trump has connected this disruption directly to the Ukraine war, and previously insisted “the whole world suffers” due to the ongoing conflict. “Russia has unfortunately lost control of its Diesel Oil Industry due to its war with Ukraine,” the U.S. president wrote in a Truth Social post. “A large number of their Diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission. This ridiculous and never ending war with Ukraine must be ended.”
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