KYIV, Ukraine, March 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered the government to ensure stable diesel supplies on Monday, after the war in the Middle East sent oil prices spiralling.

Diesel prices surged by almost 25 percent in Ukraine since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran, with analysts warning that supply for April remained unclear.

Zelensky on Monday met with Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and CEO of state oil firm Naftogaz Sergiy Koretsky for a "detailed conversation" on the fuel market.

"All agencies must work closely with the fuel market to ensure uninterrupted supplies and to make it clearer for society what options for government support do exist," Zelensky said in his daily address.

Ukrainian energy consultancy Enkorr earlier warned that some suppliers are hesitant to contract April orders due to the price volatility triggered by the Iran war.

"The escalation in the Middle East has pushed global markets into a new surge that Ukrainian companies have struggled to keep up with," it said in a report on Monday.

"The only clarity is about the availability of volumes in March, while for April, suppliers continue to drag things out until the very last moment," Enkorr added.

Another Ukrainian fuel consultancy, A 95, said that no fuel shortage was expected.

"There is no shortage and none is expected," said Sergiy Kuyun, the head of the A95, adding that price negotiations for April were still ongoing and about 40 percent of supplies for the month were already secured.

Russia has battered Ukraine's refining capacity since invading in 2022, making Kyiv heavily dependent on fuel imports.

Oil and gas prices have soared following the United States and Israel unleashing strikes on Iran on February 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran, which attacked the oil-producing Gulf nations and nearly blocked the Strait of Hormuz, an important crude export route.