US President Donald Trump has called on Ukraine to “get a new leader”, escalating tensions with President Volodymyr Zelensky following Kyiv’s criticism of Washington’s decision to ease sanctions on Russian diesel exports.
Trump made the remarks on Saturday after defending an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow more Russian diesel onto global markets amid rising fuel prices ahead of next month’s US midterm elections.
The US president accused Zelensky of obstructing efforts to reach a peace deal with Moscow and ignoring his instructions to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries.
Ukraine and its European allies, however, warned that easing pressure on Russia could provide additional funds for the Kremlin’s war effort.
The dispute unfolded as Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 21 people, including children, according to Ukrainian officials.
Trump Calls for New Ukrainian Leadership
Trump announced on Friday that he had spoken with Putin and agreed to allow Russia to release large quantities of diesel onto international markets.
The decision drew criticism from Zelensky, who described it as a “weak decision” and warned that easing sanctions could strengthen Moscow’s ability to continue the war.
Responding to the criticism, Trump accused the Ukrainian president of disregarding his instructions not to target Russian refineries, arguing that such attacks could worsen global fuel shortages linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
“He better damn well stop,” Trump said.
He added: “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal, because he could have made many deals that, for some reason, he never does.”
Trump also maintained that Putin wanted to end the conflict.
“Russia would like to make a deal… but for whatever reason, Zelensky does not want to make a deal,” he told reporters.
“President Putin would like to see a settlement, strongly.”
The US president further criticised Zelensky for not holding an election since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
“I think he should have an election and he could have settled this thing many times,” Trump said.
European Allies Back Zelensky
European leaders and Ukrainian officials rejected the suggestion that pressure on Russia should be eased.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said lifting sanctions on Russian diesel would help sustain Moscow’s military campaign.
“This is not the time to ease pressure on Russia, and Europe won’t,” she wrote online.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham also expressed “complete solidarity” with Zelensky during a telephone conversation.
According to Downing Street, Burnham pledged that Britain would “strengthen its sanctions on Russia”.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andriy Sybiha, also defended his president, saying Ukrainians should determine their country’s leadership.
“He has the support of the Ukrainian people, and they have the right to decide,” Sybiha wrote in a post on X.
Russian Attacks Kill Civilians in Ukraine
The diplomatic dispute came amid fresh Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Ukraine’s state rescue service said a Russian glide bomb attack on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia killed 20 people, including three children, on Saturday.
Zelensky linked the attack to Washington’s decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports.
“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 on X.
An AFP correspondent reported seeing rescue workers pulling survivors and bodies from the rubble.
“We saw people under the rubble — a woman, her husband and a child,” rescuer Daniil Pishkin told AFP.
He said two people were rescued alive, but added that a young girl had died.
A 69-year-old resident identified as Iryna said she sheltered in her bathroom after receiving an air-raid alert. Two of her neighbours were killed.
“They were 75 years old. They were simply thrown out there, onto the street. They didn’t make it to the hospital,” she told AFP.
Separately, a Russian drone attack in the central Dnipropetrovsk region killed an 11-year-old boy, according to regional officials.
Russian strikes also caused widespread power cuts in Kyiv.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had hit a data centre used by Ukraine’s military.
Diplomatic Efforts Continue
The diesel agreement was announced as US, Ukrainian and European officials met in Miami in a renewed effort to find a way to end the conflict.
An aide to Zelensky said Ukraine’s delegation was returning home on Saturday.
US envoy Steve Witkoff said the discussions involved representatives of the E3, the European Commission, Ukraine and NATO.
He described the talks as “constructive”, saying they focused on ways to “de-escalate and conclude the war with Russia ahead of winter and advance efforts toward a durable and lasting peace”.
The Kremlin said on Saturday that Trump had conveyed proposals for de-escalating the conflict to Putin during their telephone conversation on Friday.
According to the Kremlin, Putin received the proposals “with understanding”, although it provided no further details.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and currently occupies roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
