Ukraine should continue its long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries, retired US General Keith Kellogg, former special envoy for Ukraine, has said, arguing that Moscow’s diesel deal is aimed at easing pressure on Russia’s energy sector.

Axar.az reports that, in an interview with Fox News, Kellogg said Moscow could be seeking to persuade Washington to pressure Kyiv into suspending attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

“The Russians are trying to tell the Ukrainians and the Americans: enough attacking our oil refineries,” Kellogg said. “The Ukrainians will not do this; they will continue attacking, as they should. This is a military operation, this is a war – and they are attacking correctly.”

The diesel agreement was announced on October 9 following a phone call between Trump and Putin. Under the announced terms, Russia was to supply more than 300,000 metric tonnes of diesel initially, increasing deliveries to 500,000 tonnes in November and potentially 1 million tonnes thereafter, with total prospective shipments reaching 3 million tonnes.

The US Treasury Department issued a temporary general licence authorising transactions involving Russian diesel through April 7, 2027.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian drone strikes have damaged Russian refining facilities, idling around 40% of the country’s refining capacity and prompting Moscow to impose domestic fuel export restrictions.

It should be noted that US President Donald Trump has demanded that Ukraine stop attacking Russian oil refineries.