Trump says Ukraine needs new president, blames Zelenskyy for diesel prices

United States President Donald Trump has publicly urged Ukraine to replace President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing the Ukrainian leader of refusing to broker a peace agreement with Russia and contributing to rising domestic fuel costs.

Speaking on Saturday, Trump argued that leadership change in Kyiv is necessary to resolve the ongoing conflict. He alleged that Zelenskyy repeatedly passed up opportunities to negotiate an end to the fighting and asserted that the conflict would never have occurred had he been in office when Russia invaded in February 2022. Trump also asserted that Ukrainian attacks targeting Russian energy facilities have disrupted global markets, ultimately harming American agricultural workers and ranchers by driving up diesel prices.

The remarks followed the announcement of an agreement between Washington and Moscow aimed at lowering fuel prices ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Under the arrangement announced Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to ship diesel to international and American markets. The initial release involves over 300,000 tonnes immediately, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November, another one million tonnes afterward, and an additional three million tonnes shortly thereafter. To facilitate the flow of fuel, the U.S. Treasury Department granted a temporary licence allowing Russian diesel sales abroad, shifting away from previous sanctions intended to limit Moscow's petroleum earnings.

During his comments, Trump claimed that Ukraine had surrendered 30 percent of its land and suffered over two million fatalities during the war. Independent assessments, however, place the territory occupied by Russian forces closer to 20 percent, while verifiable casualty numbers for Ukrainian soldiers and civilians remain unconfirmed.

Zelenskyy strongly rejected the energy arrangement between Washington and Moscow, warning that allowing Russian petroleum products back onto the market hands the Kremlin extra funding to finance its military campaign. In a message posted on Telegram, Zelenskyy argued that loosening energy curbs signals to Moscow that it can proceed with attacks on Ukrainian civilian hubs and critical infrastructure without facing economic consequences.

The dispute unfolded alongside continued fighting on the ground. Ukrainian emergency personnel reported that Russian aerial strikes on residential neighborhoods in the Zaporizhzhia region on Saturday killed at least 20 people, including three children, and injured at least 18 others.