Trump Pressures Ukraine Again to Cut Oil Attacks, Echoing 2019 Extortion

President Donald Trump is pressuring Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian oil infrastructure and accept a deal favoring Russia, aiming to lower U.S. diesel prices ahead of midterm elections. He has also threatened to cut intelligence sharing and reportedly switched off a Starlink-based navigation system used by Ukraine. Trump blames Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for high fuel costs, but experts attribute the near $7-per-gallon diesel prices to Trump’s war with Iran. A separate deal to lift sanctions on Russian diesel imports, criticized by Republicans and European allies, is unlikely to meaningfully reduce prices, with industry estimates ranging from zero to five cents per gallon. The pressure campaign echoes Trump’s 2019 extortion of Ukraine, which led to his first impeachment. Critics, including former officials, say Trump’s actions betray Ukraine and weaken U.S. credibility, with some describing the administration as a “predatory criminal enterprise” that allies must recognize.