US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has stated that Ukraine and Joe Biden are to blame for the high diesel prices. He linked the Ukrainian side to the destruction of Russian oil refineries, and Biden to the closure of oil refineries in the United States. This is the American minister’s assessment of the causes.
Briefly about the main points
- Wright named Ukraine as one of the culprits behind the high price of diesel.
- The minister attributed this to the destruction of Russian oil refineries.
- Wright mentioned Biden in connection with the closure of factories in the US.
- Wright’s statement is his causal assessment.
Wright linked the Ukrainian strikes to global refining
According to Rait, Ukrainians are to blame for the rise in the price of diesel, because Russian oil refineries are being destroyed. The minister had previously stated that the main issue affecting fuel prices is refining capacity, rather than the physical availability of crude oil.
In the US, the average retail price of diesel reached $5.85 per gallon on 4 September. The Associated Press cited the war with Iran, supply disruptions and restrictions on tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz as among the factors behind the price rise.
The statement regarding Biden concerns the closure of US oil refineries
Wright also placed the blame on Joe Biden, stating that oil refineries had been closed in the US during his presidency. The US Energy Information Administration reported that the operating capacity of American oil refineries fell by more than 250,000 barrels per day in 2025, whilst the number of operating refineries fell from 132 to 130.
At the same time, the EIA’s statistics do not establish that Biden bears personal responsibility for these closures.
