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Trump Blames Ukraine—Not His Iran War—For Our Skyrocketing Fuel Prices

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Nguyen, A. (2026, October 11). Trump Blames Ukraine—Not His Iran War—For Our Skyrocketing Fuel Prices. Mother Jones. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/10/trump-blames-ukraine-for-our-skyrocketing-fuel-prices/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Mother Jones · collected 2026-10-11 · by Alex Nguyen

Quick Summary

President Trump continues to blame Ukraine for rising fuel prices, suggesting that the country's military actions against Russia are responsible. He urged Ukraine to replace its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who criticized Trump’s stance and pointed out that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is a more significant factor in price increases. Meanwhile, despite his recent deal allowing Russian diesel exports, Trump has also signed legislation enabling him to impose heavy tariffs on countries importing Russian oil, facing opposition from some Republican lawmakers who argue this could fund Russia's war efforts.
Written by AI on 2026-10-11, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On October 10, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump called for Ukraine to replace its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of rejecting opportunities to end the war with Russia and contributing to global fuel shortages through strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. This came after Trump signed a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to buy diesel from Russia, aiming to address high U.S. fuel prices ahead of midterm elections.

Zelensky expressed pain over Trump's decision in an interview on October 14, stating it was "painful" when Trump chose the side of Russia rather than Ukraine. He added that maintaining neutrality without wavering is crucial for partners like Trump but acknowledged a sense of betrayal while emphasizing Ukraine’s commitment to its own sovereignty and citizens.

These developments underscored growing tensions between the U.S. and Ukraine, with European leaders voicing support for Ukraine at an EU summit in Brussels following Zelensky's diplomatic outreach amidst deteriorating relations with the U.S.

Written for “Ukraine Attacks Russian Data Centers” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 38 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Ukraine Attacks Russian Data Centers
Politics · 39 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Trump announces deal with Putin for Russian diesel, but what is its most consequential element? Same event
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 1 of 3 claims Outlet record 66/100
Trump declares renewed Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries 'a disgrace' and blames them for pushing up global energy prices - after Zelensky condemned US president's 'betrayal' Same event
Daily Mail
Hedges 0 of 13 claims Outlet record 69/100
Trump says Ukraine should get new President as he blames Zelenskyy for U.S. diesel prices Same event
The Hindu
Hedges 3 of 47 claims Outlet record 77/100
How the Russia-Ukraine war continues to contribute to current high diesel fuel costs Different event
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 49 claims Outlet record 70/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the impact of geopolitical events on fuel prices and do not describe the same specific incident or occurrence.”
Trump announces Russian diesel deal amid soaring US fuel prices Different event
Al Jazeera
Hedges 2 of 14 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different events - one about Trump announcing a Russian diesel fuel deal and another where he blames Ukraine for fuel price increases.”
Why is US turning to Russia for diesel despite sanctions? Different event
Al Jazeera
Hedges 9 of 66 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of fuel prices and diplomatic issues without clearly referring to the same specific incident or time.”
Trump says Ukraine should get a new president as he blames Zelenskyy for US diesel prices Same event
Global News
Hedges 3 of 53 claims Outlet record 63/100
Trump demands Ukraine get new president, lashes out at Zelensky Same event
South China Morning Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 1 of 4 claims Outlet record 63/100
‘Time for a new president’: Trump calls on Zelensky to go amid diesel stoush Same event
The Sydney Morning Herald
Hedges 3 of 26 claims Outlet record 61/100
Watch: 'Time for Ukraine to get a new president', says Trump Same event
BBC News
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 68/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
12%
2 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
60/100
Mother Jones's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
39
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-11 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Mother Jones · 439 article(s) · 1 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 1 correction(s)
2026-11-01
Haley Stevens Abandons Fellow Democrats in Opposition to Abdul El-Sayed

Who wrote this

Alex Nguyen
46 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who had endorsed Stevens in her primary race against El-Sayed before she was narrowly defeated in August, called the move “a despicable betrayal” on social media Sunday. Former House speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Stevens chose to “dangerously betray Michigan families’ healthcare, freedoms and future with her horrific endorsement.” Chair of the Michigan Democratic party, Curtis Hertel, wrote on social media Sunday that Stevens is not a current member of the party, “nor will she be in the future.”
2026-11-02 · assertive framing · Haley Stevens Turned Michigan’s Senate Race Into a Soap Opera
🔮 Michigan’s Democratic leaders condemned Stevens’ decision in a tight race which could determine control of the US Senate next year.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Haley Stevens Abandons Fellow Democrats in Opposition to Abdul El-Sayed
🔮 On Monday, the Trump administration asked Washington state to remove any ballots from more than 400 people it claims may be noncitizens.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Trump’s List of Alleged Noncitizen Voters in California May Be Filled With Errors
🔮 “Never before in American history has the federal government, on the eve of an election, sought to coerce a state and local government to abandon their own Constitutional elections procedures and bend to the will of the Executive Branch,” Judge David Carter wrote in a 26-page ruling.
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Court Denies White House Bid to Toss California Ballots
🔮 There was Serena Williams, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Jimmy Kimmel, and even a closing set from my fave Charli XCX , including her song “Apple,” which she introduced to the crowd as a song “about generational trauma.”
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Apparently There Is an Airbnb Gala
🔮 The issue may prove to be a deciding factor in many races, as Democrats would need to flip four seats each in both the US House and Senate to build a simple majority.
2026-10-27 · mixed framing · Trump Made $1.4 Billion in Crypto. Voters Noticed.
🔮 The AI giant Anthropic disclosed its initial public offering filing with the SEC on Monday in what is expected to become one of the largest stock debuts in history.
2026-10-26 · mixed framing · Anthropic’s Founders Pledged to Donate Most of Their Stock. Their IPO Tells Another Story.
🔮 President Donald Trump ramped up his Islamophobic remarks against Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at a Sunday campaign rally in Michigan, hurling everything from unfounded “jihadist” accusations to suggestions that an El-Sayed victory would mean canceling Christmas.
2026-10-26 · assertive framing · Trump Ramps Up His Islamophobic Attacks Against Abdul El-Sayed
🔮 The problem is reaching a level where banks have been forced to scale up their investment of resources into preparing for breaches and restoring customer access as quickly as possible—which, given other recent developments in AI-powered cybersecurity breaches, might not have been a bad idea anyway.
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🔮 In the five-minute confrontation that has now gone viral, the young man, who the Handbasket first identified as Thomas “Tommy” Teepell, asked El-Sayed if he would “disavow” the Muslim Brotherhood.
2026-10-21 · mixed framing · The El-Sayed Heckler’s Dad Got $250,000 to Campaign Against El-Sayed
Also by Alex Nguyen
Haley Stevens Turned Michigan’s Senate Race Into a Soap Opera
2026-11-02 · Mother Jones
Haley Stevens Abandons Fellow Democrats in Opposition to Abdul El-Sayed
2026-11-01 · Mother Jones
Trump’s List of Alleged Noncitizen Voters in California May Be Filled With Errors
2026-11-01 · Mother Jones
Court Denies White House Bid to Toss California Ballots
2026-10-29 · Mother Jones
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 46 articles by Alex Nguyen →

Topics

ABC News Russia Russian Ukraine Ukrainian

Subjects

Trump PERSON · 10× Russia GPE · 8× Ukraine GPE · 7× Ukrainian NORP · 4× Zelenskyy PERSON · 3× Russian NORP · 2× ABC News ORG · 1× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× Volodymyr Zelenskyy PERSON · 1× the United States’ GPE · 1×

Narrative

“[Ukrainian] President Volodymyr Zelensky has the overwhelming support of the United States Congress, he has the overwhelming support of the American people, and he has the overwhelming support of the Ukrainian people,” Fitzpatrick wrote on social media.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-11
🔮 “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal because he could have made many deals and for some reason he never does,” Trump said on Saturday, suggesting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not done enough to broker a peace deal with Russia.
2026-10-11 · Mother Jones
Trump Blames Ukraine—Not His Iran War—For Our Skyrocketing Fuel Prices · assertive framing

Claims (17 extracted, 2 hedged)

President Donald Trump keeps pointing the finger at everyone for surging fuel prices but himself. asserted
Trump → keep → prices
Over the weekend, he once again blamed Ukraine, asserting that the country’s retaliatory airstrikes on Russia’s oil refineries were causing prices to spike. asserted
prices → blame → refineries
Now Trump is urging Ukraine to scrap its leader. asserted
Trump → urge → leader
“I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal because he could have made many deals and for some reason he never does,” Trump said on Saturday, suggesting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not done enough to broker a peace deal with Russia. uncertain
Zelenskyy → suggest → Russia
For weeks, Trump has called on Zelenskyy to stop striking Russia’s energy infrastructure, claiming that the attacks are “hurting the world,” while saying virtually nothing about Russia’s strikes against Ukraine. asserted
attacks → call → Ukraine
Responding to Trump’s escalatory remarks, Zelenskyy on Sunday criticized Trump’s framing, telling ABC News that it is near universally understood that the closing of the Strait of Hormuz has led to higher prices—not Ukraine’s strikes against Russia. asserted
closing → respond → Russia
But according to Zelenskyy, it’s easier for Trump to blame Ukraine instead of acknowledging the United States’ overwhelming role in surging prices around the world. uncertain
Trump → accord → world
“People have to hear reality,” the Ukrainian president said. asserted
president → have → reality
Later on Sunday, Trump claimed on Truth Social that there is now an “ENERGY CEASEFIRE” in the war between Russia and Ukraine. asserted
Trump → claim → Russia
But he gave little detail about what that entailed. asserted
that → give → what
The head-spinning war of words follows Trump’s deal on Friday to allow Russia to supply diesel to other countries, an apparent bid to bring down prices ahead of the midterm elections. asserted
Russia → spin → elections
But just last month, Trump had signed a bill granting him power to impose up to 100 percent tariffs on top countries that buy Russian oil or gas, namely China and India. asserted
that → sign → oil
Even GOP lawmakers have voiced rare opposition to the deal. asserted
lawmakers → voice → deal
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) wrote on X that he was “concerned the lifting of sanctions on Russian oil will only fund the Kremlin’s war machine—emboldening more violence and destruction, as we have seen in recent days.” asserted
we → write → days
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said that Trump should use his new sanctioning authority against Russia instead of allowing the country to “rake in revenues, and continue its catastrophic war in Ukraine.” asserted
country → say → Ukraine
On Saturday, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) announced plans for a bipartisan bill that he said would prevent the president from lifting sanctions. asserted
he → announce → sanctions
“[Ukrainian] President Volodymyr Zelensky has the overwhelming support of the United States Congress, he has the overwhelming support of the American people, and he has the overwhelming support of the Ukrainian people,” Fitzpatrick wrote on social media. asserted
Fitzpatrick → have → media
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