‘Get a new leader’: Trump targets Zelensky after Ukraine president objects to diesel deal with Putin

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (October 10) said 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 Kyiv objected to a US-Russia agreement on diesel supplies.

Trump also warned Zelensky to stop targeting Russian oil refineries, suggesting that the strikes had contributed to rising diesel prices ahead of the US midterm elections on November 3.

“I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House, referring to Zelensky.

Trump said he had told the Ukrainian president he could continue military operations against Russia but should avoid attacking refineries.

“He better damn well stop,” Trump said.

The remarks came a day after Trump announced an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin under which Moscow would supply diesel to the United States and global markets. The deal has drawn criticism from Zelensky, who warned that easing pressure on Russia could prolong the war.

Trump calls for new leadership in Ukraine

Trump argued that Zelensky had suffered significant territorial and human losses during the conflict and said Ukraine needed leadership willing to negotiate a settlement with Moscow.

“it's time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump said, adding that the country needed a leader who could reach a deal to end the war.

He also claimed that the conflict would not have started had he been US president in 2022, blaming the war on what he described as incompetence.

Trump's comments add to tensions between Washington and Kyiv as US-led efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict remain deadlocked.

The Ukrainian government has repeatedly sought continued international support against Russia's invasion, while Trump has pushed for a negotiated settlement.

Zelensky criticises Trump's diesel deal with Putin

Zelensky has sharply criticised the agreement, describing it as a “weak decision” and saying it was “unworthy of our partners”.

The Ukrainian president argued that allowing Russia to sell more petroleum products would provide Moscow with additional resources while its military continued attacking Ukrainian cities.

In a social media post on Saturday, Zelensky called for the agreement to be reversed, saying Russia would be willing to end the war only when its ability to prolong the conflict was diminished.

“Unfortunately, the signals Russia received yesterday were entirely different — signals suggesting that it could simply keep attacking. This needs to be corrected,” Zelensky said.

In another post, he warned that easing restrictions on Russian petroleum exports would amount to supporting a war that needed to end.

“Gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilised world,” Zelensky said.

He also accused Moscow of responding to the diesel agreement with further attacks on Ukraine.

Trump announces Russian diesel supplies amid rising US fuel prices

Trump announced the agreement on Friday following a phone call with Putin, saying Russia would release substantial volumes of diesel onto the US and global markets.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel fuel. He added that Moscow would provide another 500,000 tonnes in November, followed by one million tonnes thereafter.

Trump also said Russia would deliver a further three million tonnes within a short period, 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 reduce fuel prices.

US gasoline and diesel prices have risen since late February, when the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran. Higher fuel costs have become a key political issue ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, in which Republicans face a contest to retain control of Congress.

Trump has promised that prices would fall rapidly following the agreement, thanking Putin for the arrangement.

The deal has also raised questions over its implications for sanctions on Russia. Trump announced it weeks after the US Congress authorised him to impose steep tariffs on major purchasers of Russian oil and gas.

EU opposes easing pressure on Russia as strikes kill civilians

European officials have criticised the prospect of easing restrictions on Russian energy exports.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Saturday that lifting sanctions on Russian diesel would help finance the Kremlin's war effort.

“This is not the time to ease pressure on Russia, and Europe won't,” Kallas wrote online.

Germany also said it would continue pushing for new European Union sanctions on Russia despite Trump's announcement.

The criticism came as Russian attacks on Ukraine continued. Ukrainian authorities said a Russian glide bomb strike on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday killed 15 people, including three children. Separately, the reports put the overall death toll from fresh Russian strikes at 16.

Zelensky said Russia had carried out the attack despite Trump's announcement of the diesel agreement.

“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.