Trump Says Ukraine Should Replace Zelenskyy as Putin Diesel Deal Draws Kyiv’s Anger/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ President Donald Trump called for Ukraine to replace President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing him of failing to reach a deal to end Russia’s war. His comments followed a U.S.-Russia diesel agreement that Kyiv warned would finance further attacks, as Russian strikes killed at least 20 people in the Zaporizhzhia region. European allies reaffirmed support for sanctions, while a Ukrainian official said Kyiv received no advance notice of the fuel agreement.
Quick Look
- Trump’s criticism: The president urged Ukraine to choose a leader who could negotiate an agreement.
- Deadly attacks: Ukrainian officials reported at least 20 deaths in Zaporizhzhia, including three children.
- Kyiv strike: A daytime missile attack wounded four people, according to the city’s mayor.
- Diesel agreement: Trump announced several Russian shipments totaling more than 4.8 million tons.
- Ukraine’s warning: Zelenskyy said additional export revenue would support Russian weapons production and recruitment.
- European response: Sweden and Germany reiterated their commitment to sanctions against Moscow.
- Negotiating dispute: A Ukrainian official said the diesel deal was separate from peace discussions in Florida.
Deep Look
Trump Calls for Ukraine to Replace Zelenskyy
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Saturday that Ukraine should choose a new president, arguing that Volodymyr Zelenskyy had failed to secure an agreement to end the war with Russia.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said, “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal,” adding that “for some reason (Zelenskyy) never does.”
Trump also maintained that Russia’s full-scale invasion would not have occurred had he been president in 2022.
“that war would have never started. There was no reason that that war with Ukraine and Russia started. It started due to incompetence.”
He went on to make claims about Ukraine’s territorial losses and the war’s death toll while renewing his demand for a leadership change.
Zelenskyy has “lost 30% of your country and you’ve had over a million people go between the two of them, over 2 million people killed. That’s a war that should have never started. And I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.”
Those figures were assertions made by Trump; the supplied report did not independently substantiate them.
Russian Bombardment Kills at Least 20 in Zaporizhzhia
Trump’s remarks came as Ukrainian officials reported another deadly wave of Russian attacks.
At least 20 people, including three children, were killed when Russian aerial bombs struck residential buildings in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said Saturday.
At least 18 others were wounded.
A separate daytime missile attack struck Kyiv. Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said four people were injured.
Russian bombardments have killed more than 60 people over the past four days, according to the report.
More than four and a half years after Moscow’s full-scale invasion, the countries remain engaged in long-range aerial attacks while their armies are largely deadlocked along the front line.
Zelenskyy Links Diesel Sanctions Relief to Russian War Funding
The attacks followed Trump’s announcement Friday that the United States would obtain diesel from Russia, reversing years of pressure on Moscow’s energy sector.
Zelenskyy condemned the agreement and argued that easing sanctions encouraged further Russian attacks.
“Today, Russia expressed its thanks for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia,” he wrote Saturday on X.
He said Moscow interprets “any easing of pressure to mean they can keep fighting, to mean they can keep dropping bombs on cities.”
Following drone attacks on energy facilities and the ballistic missile strike on Kyiv, Zelenskyy reinforced that argument on Telegram.
“Russia’s choice is war,” he said.
He warned that every additional billion dollars in Russian export earnings could finance weapons components, drone improvements, missile manufacturing and the recruitment of mercenaries.
Zelenskyy argued that Moscow would become willing to stop only when its capacity to continue fighting declined.
He said the agreement had given Russia “signals that it is apparently permissible to continue attacking. And this needs to be corrected,” urging Washington, Europe and other partners to restrict Moscow’s ability to wage war.
Ukraine Seeks Stronger Air Defenses and F-16 Supplies
Zelenskyy said Ukraine was coordinating measures to counter the additional revenue Russia could receive.
He discussed strengthening air defenses with French President Emmanuel Macron and warned that further missile attacks were possible in the coming days.
Zelenskyy also spoke with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
He said Ukraine would receive ammunition in the coming days for the F-16 aircraft it uses to intercept Shahed drones.
Trump Announces Millions of Tons of Russian Diesel
Trump had been expected to discuss a suspected plague case in Russia during a telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin.
Instead, he announced an agreement under which Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel.
Another 500,000 tons would follow in November, with 1 million tons arriving “immediately thereafter.”
Trump said Russia would provide a further 3 million tons “within a short period of time.”
The agreement was presented as an effort to address high U.S. fuel prices before the midterm elections.
It contrasted sharply with a sweeping Russia sanctions law Trump signed last month aimed at restricting the oil and gas revenue supporting Moscow’s war.
Kyiv Residents Express Anger and Resignation
At a memorial to fallen soldiers in Kyiv’s Independence Square, residents reacted to the agreement with frustration and skepticism.
“Trump has once again shown his true face,” said Oleksandr Petrenko, 26. “He didn’t care about the situation, the shelling or the destruction of our homes. All he’s interested in is oil or the fuel prices and how much Americans have to pay.”
Petrenko questioned whether the agreement would achieve its stated economic purpose.
“Knowing Trump, he tries to manipulate the markets. He’s got an election coming up soon,” he said. “So he needs to emphasize to his voters that gasoline will be cheap. But it won’t be effective.”
Oksana Yakunina, a financial adviser from Kropyvnytskyi, said the announcement “didn’t really come as a surprise.”
“Trump has been working with Putin for a long time,” she told The Associated Press.
European Allies Reaffirm Sanctions Against Russia
Ukraine’s European partners expressed concern about the U.S.-Russia agreement while maintaining their support for sanctions.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said his government regretted the deal, “as energy revenues are central to the Russian war chest.”
He said the European Union would adopt its most comprehensive sanctions package yet Monday, with 1,600 listings targeting Russia’s military-industrial complex.
German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius also reaffirmed Berlin’s position.
The government “remains committed to the sanctions imposed on Russia and is working with its European partners on further sanctions,” he said.
Support for Ukraine “remains unwavering,” Kornelius added.
Poland Questions Russia’s Ability to Supply Diesel
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski questioned whether Russia could fulfill the promised deliveries.
He cited embassy reports of fuel shortages even in Moscow and “serious sources” indicating that Ukrainian attacks had damaged roughly half of Russia’s refining capacity.
“So where will the surpluses for export come from?” Sikorski asked on X.
Ukrainian Officials Say Fuel Deal Was Separate From Peace Talks
Trump announced the diesel agreement while U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met Ukrainian officials in Miami Friday to discuss a proposal for ending the war.
Zelenskyy questioned whether those negotiations were being used to obscure Washington’s separate dealings with Moscow.
“I believe our team is simply being used as a smoke screen. And that is certainly not fair. It is certainly not how partners should treat each other,” he said Friday.
A senior Ukrainian official told AP that Kyiv had not been informed of the diesel agreement before Trump announced it.
Speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, the official said Saturday that the fuel deal was unrelated to the issues under discussion between U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators in Florida.
He confirmed that the Ukrainian delegation had departed Florida and was returning home.
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