US President Donald Trump has said it is time for Ukraine to get a new president, publicly suggesting Volodymyr Zelenskyy should be replaced — an extraordinary remark by a sitting US president about the leader of a wartime ally.
FAKTA
- What: Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday: “I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.”
- Reason given: Trump blamed Zelenskyy for not making deals to end the war and for Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, which he says drive up US diesel prices.
- Context: The remarks came a day after Trump announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to buy Russian diesel to ease high US fuel prices.
- Kyiv’s response: Zelenskyy called the diesel deal a “weak decision” and said Russia answered it with glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, killing 20 people including three children; his foreign minister pushed back against the criticism.
- Not on record before: This is the first time Trump has publicly called for Zelenskyy’s replacement.
The White House remarks
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Saturday before departing for a rally in Tennessee, Trump said: “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal because he could have made many deals, but for some reason, he never does.”
Trump has repeatedly urged Zelenskyy to halt Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, arguing they disrupt global fuel supplies and hurt American consumers. He said Zelenskyy “wants to make problems for the world,” pointing to US farmers, ranchers and truckers facing high diesel prices, and warned over the strikes: “He better damn well stop.”
He also repeated his claim that the war would never have started had he been president in 2022, saying there was “no reason” for it and blaming “incompetence.”
The diesel deal behind the row
On Friday, Trump announced an arrangement with Putin under which Russia would supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel immediately, another 500,000 tons in November, one million tons thereafter, and a further three million tons within a short period. Trump framed it as a targeted response to elevated diesel prices, while broader Russia sanctions remain in place.
Zelenskyy called the deal a “weak decision,” warning it would bankroll Moscow’s war effort. He said Russia responded to the sanctions relief by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, killing 20 people, including three children. Missiles also struck Kyiv in a daytime attack on Saturday; Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said four people were wounded.
Kyiv and allies push back
Zelenskyy and his foreign minister rejected Trump’s criticism, noting that Ukraine’s energy strikes are part of its defense against Russia’s bombardment of Ukrainian cities and power infrastructure. Ukraine said in September it was ready to halt strikes on Russian territory if allies could secure a genuine Russian commitment not to hit Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.
European allies have also criticized the diesel arrangement with Moscow. The episode adds to tensions after Trump’s Sunday claim of an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine, which Kyiv said it learned about from social media.
More on the Ukraine war: World news on Watan News.
