Trump Cabinet Blames Ukraine War for Record Gas Prices, Drawing Pushback from Analyst
Key Takeaways
- •Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed rising U.S. gas prices on Ukraine's war-related strikes against Russian energy assets.
- •Ukraine's long-range drone attacks on Russian oil refineries have at times halted processing capacity and curbed exports of refined products such as diesel.
- •Energy analysts remain divided over how much Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries, versus other factors like crude supply and geopolitics, drive American pump prices.
- •Commentator David Pakman accused Trump administration officials of deflecting blame from Trump's war against Iran, a major oil producer controlling the Strait of Hormuz.
- •Pakman acknowledged Ukraine's refinery strikes had a limited effect on global prices but objected to Bessent's phrasing that Ukraine 'has decided' to attack Russian energy assets.
Members of President Donald Trump's Cabinet acknowledge that a war has driven gas prices to record highs — but it is not the war many might expect.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have both given public interviews attributing Americans' pain at the pump to the war in Ukraine.
"Ukraine has decided that they want to blow up Russian energy assets," Bessent said during a Fox News interview. "That is creating a price pressure on a global basis."
Duffy, appearing on "Fox & Friends" on Saturday morning, offered a similar assessment.
"When you look at diesel, you have to look at Russia and Ukraine," Duffy said. "That puts pressure on the global market."
Ukraine has conducted long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries over the course of the war, at times forcing temporary shutdowns of processing capacity and curbing Russia's exports of refined products such as diesel. How much of that disruption feeds into prices American consumers pay at the pump — as opposed to other factors like crude oil supply, refinery operations at home, and broader geopolitical tensions — is a matter of ongoing debate among energy analysts.
The comments drew a reaction from progressive political commentator David Pakman, whose initial response was, "Huh!?"
Pakman argued that Trump administration officials were scrambling to blame anyone other than Trump himself — the president who launched an optional war in Iran, one of the world's largest oil-producing regions. Iran sits among the world's top oil producers and controls the Strait of Hormuz, the maritime chokepoint through which a significant share of globally traded oil passes.
"There are a few layers of dishonesty here," Pakman said.
Pakman acknowledged that Ukraine's defensive attacks on Russian refineries had affected global prices to a limited extent by reducing exports of refined products. But he took issue with Bessent's phrasing — specifically the words "has decided."
"As though Ukraine woke up one morning and said, 'Let's blow stuff up in Russia,'" he said.
Pakman then pointed to what he described as an "Iran-shaped elephant" looming over Bessent's explanation.
"Trump chose to launch this war against Iran," Pakman said. "The predictable consequence is this massive disruption to global energy markets."
