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Trump: “Time for Ukraine to get a new president”
Blaming Zelenskyy for Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries that he says are hurting American farmers and ranchers, President Trump said Ukraine should find “a new leader who can make a deal.”
President Donald Trump on Saturday called on Ukraine to replace President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, escalating a clash with Kyiv a day after he announced a deal to buy Russian diesel from Vladimir Putin.
Speaking to reporters on the White House South Lawn before flying to a campaign rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, Trump was asked about critics who say the diesel deal could prolong the war by handing Moscow an economic lifeline. “Well, I look at it differently,” he said. “Zelensky could have settled this war many times. Many, many times. And he chooses not to.”
Watch: Trump calls for a new leader in Ukraine on the White House South Lawn
“He better damn well stop”
Trump said Washington had told Kyiv it could “do whatever you want to Russia” but not to hit refineries, because Russia supplies a large share of the world’s diesel. “He wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers with diesel fuel,” Trump said. “So we — he better damn well stop.”
When a Ukrainian reporter said her country was suffering from Russian attacks, Trump replied:
“Well, I agree with you. And you know what I suggest? I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal. Because he could have made many deals, and for some reason he never does… You’ve lost 30% of your country, and you’ve had over a million people killed. 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.”
Diesel deal and the midterms
On Friday, Trump said Putin had agreed to supply more than 4 million tons of diesel to the U.S. and global markets, with over 300,000 tons immediately, 500,000 tons in November and larger volumes later, according to AP. CNBC reported that the Treasury is temporarily waiving sanctions on Russian diesel through April 2027, as the administration faces pressure over fuel prices that are squeezing farmers ahead of November’s midterm elections.
A U.S. official told Axios that Trump cut the deal after Zelenskyy ignored half a dozen requests to stop attacking Russian refineries. Zelenskyy told Axios the deal was “not fair and not honest,” and said Russia had “expressed its thanks” for the lifting of diesel sanctions by bombing Zaporizhzhia. Kyiv had not responded to Trump’s call for a new president as of Saturday afternoon.
Zelenskyy’s five-year term formally expired in May 2024, but Ukraine’s constitution bars elections under martial law. Trump has pressed Kyiv to hold a vote before, including in December 2025.
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