Energy Secretary Chris Wright attributed record diesel prices primarily to the Russia-Ukraine war on CNN's State of the Union. He stated that the destruction of Russian refineries by Ukraine has been the "single biggest factor" in the historic increase. Wright also pointed to China throttling back diesel exports and Russia importing gasoline, which has tightened the refining market. The average national diesel price is $5.90 as of Sunday, with gas prices at a record high of $4.15.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, speaking on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday morning, said that the "Ukraine-Russia war" is the "single biggest factor" behind the historic increase in diesel prices. He claimed that Russia was a significant exporter of diesel for several decades, but now they have banned exports of diesel, while also importing gasoline instead of exporting it, which has caused a tightening of the refining market. This has contributed to record high prices, although Wright did not mention this during his interview.
Written for “Diesel Prices Rise Amid War” on 2026-09-07,
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Leaning score withheld for article 5670: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-09-06
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the Russia-Ukraine war is the “single biggest factor” behind the historic increase in diesel prices.
asserted
war → say → prices
“Diesel has been impacted by a lot of factors, but the single biggest one there has been the Ukrainian destruction of Russian refineries,” Wright said on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday morning.
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Wright → impact → morning
“Russia was a meaningful exporter of diesel throughout the last several decades,” he added.
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he → add → decades
“Today, they’ve banned any exports of diesel.
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they → ban → diesel
China has also dramatically throttled back exports of diesel, and in fact, Russia is importing gasoline, where they have historically been a net exporter of that.
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they → throttle → that
So the refining market has become very tight.”
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market → become → ?
His remarks came as President Donald Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner engaged in peace talks with Russian officials in Moscow.
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envoys → come → Moscow
The pair also traveled to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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pair → travel → Zelensky
The discussions resulted in no breakthroughs over the weekend as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues.
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war → result → Russia
The Iran war is also contributing to the record rise in gasoline and diesel prices, but Wright didn’t focus on that conflict during his interview with CNN.
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Wright → contribute → CNN
Rather, he blamed Democrats for closing refineries over the past few years.
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he → blame → years
“The Biden administration closed over a dozen refineries in the United States,” Wright said.
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Wright → close → States
“Gavin Newsom in California closed two significant refineries just in the last 12 months.
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Newsom → close → months
We, of course, are rowing in the opposite direction.
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We → row → direction
The Trump administration is working with our refiners to expand their capacity.”
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administration → work → capacity
The Cabinet secretary cited his recent visit to Venezuela as part of the administration’s efforts to raise not only oil production but also refinery capacity to supply the global oil market.
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secretary → cite → market
Last week, the United States facilitated a series of deals between the Venezuelan government and five energy companies, including Chevron.
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States → facilitate → Chevron
The signed agreements are separate from the major U.S.-Venezuela oil deal announced by Trump days before the energy chief’s visit to Caracas.
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agreements → sign → Caracas
“On Venezuela, I think things are going swimmingly, well above our projections,” Wright told CNN.
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Wright → think → CNN
We’re way ahead of plan, and with billions of new dollars announced for investment into the country, every month that story gets better than it was the month before.
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it → ’re → country
So progress is happening rapidly.”
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progress → happen → ?
As of Sunday, AAA says the national average gas price is $4.15, and the average for diesel is $5.90.
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average → say → diesel
Monday’s average gas price is on track to outpace the record set by Labor Day 2012, which was $3.82 per gallon.
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which → outpace → gallon
Gas prices usually decrease after Labor Day due to the falling seasonal demand this time of year, but it’s likely those costs will remain high due to geopolitical tensions, particularly the U.S.-Iran war over the Strait of Hormuz.
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costs → decrease → Hormuz
Asked if gas prices could rise significantly more than the already high levels, Wright said, “I don’t want to have an opinion on that.”
uncertain
I → ask → that
Pressed again on the question, he answered, “Gasoline production is about to go up, and demand is about to go down.
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demand → press → question
So, if I had to guess, they’re more likely to go down than go up.”
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they → have → ?
