President Donald Trump called Saturday for Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be replaced as Ukraine’s leader, blaming him for high diesel prices and ongoing conflict. The remarks followed a surprise U.S.-Russia diesel agreement that left Kyiv blindsided and triggered deadly retaliatory airstrikes in Zaporizhzhia.
Speaking outside the White House before departing for Tennessee, President Trump argued that the current Ukrainian leadership has failed to secure an end to the hostilities. He contended that the war started due to incompetence and asserted that the country requires a change at the top.
Trump claimed that Volodymyr Zelenskyy had lost significant territory and cited high casualty figures, declaring that it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president. In response, Ukraine’s foreign minister stated Saturday that Zelenskyy retains the backing of the Ukrainian people and deserves support.
Trump Orders Sanctions Reversal
The public friction follows a sudden policy announced on Friday. The Trump administration temporarily eased sanctions on Russian diesel exports to facilitate fuel shipments to global markets, reversing years of U.S. pressure on Moscow.
Under the terms outlined by the White House, Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November and another million tons shortly thereafter.
Trump defended the agreement as a necessary measure to relieve economic pressure on American farmers, ranchers, and truckers facing high fuel costs ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. However, the deal drew sharp rebukes from European allies and former U.S. officials.
Kaja Kallas warned that the arrangement provides Moscow with more revenues to wage war, noting that EU ministers planned to formally add 1,600 new individuals and entities to the EU’s sanctions blacklist the following Monday.
Washington and Kyiv Clash Over Refineries
Tensions between Washington and Kyiv have intensified over Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian oil infrastructure. According to a U.S. official cited by Axios, Trump pursued the energy deal after Zelenskyy disregarded six U.S. requests to halt attacks on Russian refineries, which Washington argued exacerbated global fuel shortages.
We said, ‘You can do whatever you want to Russia. Don’t hit the refineries because that’s a world problem. And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel.
President Trump, via MS
Zelenskyy countered that Ukraine would only suspend strikes on Russian energy facilities if Moscow ceased attacking Ukrainian power infrastructure. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported that U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner raised the possibility of cutting off intelligence sharing during negotiations in Miami if Kyiv persisted with the refinery strikes—an assertion denied by the U.S. official who spoke to Axios.
Strikes Kill Twenty in Zaporizhzhia
Zelenskyy asserted on social media that the attacks demonstrated how Moscow interprets concessions.
Kremlin officials welcomed Trump’s remarks regarding leadership changes in Kyiv, with special economic envoy Kirill Dimitriev posting on X that Trump’s stance targets Zelenskyy’s warmongering.
In Washington, Trump asserted from the White House that Zelenskyy had lost 30% of his country and that over two million people had been killed between the two nations in a war that should never have started.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin readout of the telephone conversation between Trump and Putin was described by an aide as very substantive and friendly, with neither leader wanting to be the first to hang up the phone. EU foreign ministers prepare to advance their biggest set of sanctions listings targeting Russia’s war machine since the start of the war.