President Donald Trump is understandably concerned that rising gas prices are harming American households and weakening the Republican Party’s prospects in the November congressional midterm elections. The war with Iran and escalating skirmishes between Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni Houthis are the main causes of instability in energy markets. But the war in Ukraine also intensifies price pressures at the pump.

Still, Trump should recognize that Russia, not Ukraine, is to blame for this. He has wrongly suggested the opposite in recent days and put pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop attacking Russian energy infrastructure. This approach penalizes the victim rather than the aggressor. It also fails to acknowledge Ukraine’s openness to a just compromise.