‘Get a new leader’: Trump targets Zelensky after Ukrainian president protests oil deal with Putin | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday (October 10th) that Ukraine should elect a new president who can negotiate an end to the war with Russia, escalating his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after Kiev protested a US-Russian diesel deal.
Trump also warned Zelensky to stop targeting Russian oil refineries, suggesting that the strikes contributed to the rise in diesel prices ahead of US mid-term elections on November 3.
“I suggest they get a new leader who can negotiate,” Trump told reporters at the White House, referring to Zelensky.
Trump said he told Ukraine’s president he could continue military operations against Russia but should avoid attacks on refineries.
“He should fucking stop,” Trump said.
The remarks came a day after Trump announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin that would see Moscow supply diesel to the United States and global markets. The deal drew criticism from Zelensky, who warned that easing pressure on Russia could prolong the war.
Trump calls for new leadership in Ukraine
Trump argued that Zelenskyi had suffered significant territorial and human losses during the conflict and said Ukraine needed a leadership willing to negotiate with Moscow for a settlement.
“It’s time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump said, adding that the country needed a leader who could reach an agreement to end the war.
He also claimed that the conflict would not have started had he been US president in 2022, attributing blame for the war to incompetence.
Trump’s comments raise tensions between Washington and Kyiv as US efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict remain at a standstill.
The Ukrainian government has repeatedly sought continued international support against the Russian invasion, while Trump has pushed for a negotiated settlement.
Zelensky criticizes Trump’s oil deal with Putin
Zelenskyy sharply criticized the agreement, calling it a “weak decision” and saying it was “unworthy of our partners.”
Ukraine’s president argued that allowing Russia to sell more oil products would give Moscow additional resources while its military continued to attack Ukrainian cities.
In a social media post on Saturday, Zelensky called for the deal to be scrapped, saying Russia would only be willing to end the war if its ability to prolong the conflict was reduced.
“Unfortunately, the signals that Russia received yesterday were completely different – signals indicating that it could simply continue to attack. This needs to be corrected,” Zelenskyy said.
In another post, he warned that easing restrictions on Russian oil exports would be supporting a war that must end.
“Donations to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilized world,” Zelenskyy said.
He also accused Moscow of responding to the diesel deal with further attacks on Ukraine.
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Trump announced Russian diesel shipments amid rising US fuel prices
Trump announced the deal on Friday after a phone call with Putin, saying Russia would release significant volumes of diesel into US and global markets.
Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel fuel. He added that Moscow would provide another 500,000 tonnes in November and one million tonnes thereafter.
Trump also said that Russia would supply another three million tons in a short period of time, depending on the condition of its diesel refineries.
He argued that the additional supplies, combined with US control of the Strait of Hormuz, would sharply lower fuel prices.
U.S. gasoline and diesel prices have risen since late February, when the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran. Higher fuel costs have become a key political issue ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, in which Republicans face a contest to retain control of Congress.
Trump promised that prices would drop quickly after the deal and thanked Putin for the arrangement.
The deal also raised questions about its implications for sanctions against Russia. Trump made the announcement weeks after the US Congress authorized him to impose heavy tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas.
EU opposes easing pressure on Russia as strikes kill civilians
European officials criticized the prospect of easing restrictions on Russian energy exports.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Saturday that the lifting of sanctions on Russian oil would help finance the Kremlin’s war effort.
“This is not the time to ease the pressure on Russia, and Europe will not,” Kallas wrote online.
Germany also said it would continue to enforce new European Union sanctions against Russia despite Trump’s announcement.
The criticism came as Russian attacks on Ukraine continued. Ukrainian authorities said 15 people, including three children, were killed in a Russian cruise bomb attack on the southeastern city of Zaporozhye on Saturday. Separate reports put the total death toll from fresh Russian strikes at 16.
Zelenskyy said Russia carried out the attack despite Trump’s announcement of the oil deal.
“Today, Russia expressed its thanks for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporozhye,” he wrote on X.
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