Trump says Ukraine should replace Zelenskyy after the diesel deal with Russia. A strike on Zaporizhzhia killed 20.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that Ukraine should replace Volodymyr Zelenskyy, blaming him for strikes on Russian oil refineries that have contributed to high global diesel prices. The remarks came a day after Trump struck a diesel supply deal with Russia that Kyiv and its European allies say has emboldened Moscow.
“I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump told reporters at the White House. He said Zelenskyy had hurt global diesel supplies and was making problems for American farmers and ranchers. He said he had told Zelenskyy not to hit refineries and that Zelenskyy had done it anyway, and that Ukraine should get a leader who can make a deal.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha defended Zelenskyy on X, saying he has the support of the Ukrainian people and that Ukrainians have the right to decide who leads them.
Zelenskyy tied the diesel deal to a Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia that killed 20 people, including three children. He said Russia had answered the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings, and called for different signals from Ukraine’s partners. It was the third mass-casualty attack on Ukraine in four days. Nearly 80 civilians were killed in Russian strikes on Wednesday and Thursday, including at least 30 in Kramatorsk and 22 in Pryluky, according to Reuters.
Trump announced the deal while Ukrainian and European officials were in Miami with U.S. negotiators, working on a common proposal to end the war. It reversed years of U.S. pressure on Russia and came weeks after Trump signed a sweeping law aimed at cutting Moscow’s oil and gas revenue. Fuel prices have climbed since the U.S.-Israel war on Iran began, and have become a political problem for Republicans ahead of next month’s midterm elections.
Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican, said Congress should apply the new sanctions and not roll them back. European allies expressed dismay and said they would keep their own sanctions. U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Zelenskyy that London would strengthen its sanctions on Russia, a Downing Street spokesperson said. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is coordinating steps to counter Russia’s extra revenue, and that he discussed air defenses with French President Emmanuel Macron.
This report is based on information from Al Jazeera and Reuters.