US President Donald Trump has called for Ukraine to get a new president, sharply escalating his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid growing tensions over the war with Russia and a new US-Russia diesel agreement.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, October 10, Trump said Zelenskyy had failed to reach a peace agreement with Russia despite what he described as multiple opportunities.
“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,” Trump said.
Trump then addressed the Ukrainian people directly, pointing to the country’s territorial losses and casualties.
“You’ve lost 30% of your country and you’ve had over a million people go between the two of them, over 2 million people killed,” Trump said, according to AP’s account of the remarks. He then added: “And I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.”
Trump Blames Zelenskyy Over Failure to End War
Trump argued that Zelenskyy has had opportunities to negotiate an end to the conflict but has repeatedly failed to reach an agreement with Russia.
He also said the war should never have started and claimed that it would not have begun if he had been US president in 2022.
“There was no reason that the war with Ukraine and Russia started,” Trump said, attributing its outbreak to what he called “incompetence.”
Trump's remarks represent a direct intervention into Ukraine's domestic political leadership, coming as Washington and Kyiv remain divided over how to approach negotiations with Moscow.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga responded by saying Zelenskyy has the backing of the Ukrainian people and that Ukrainians have the right to determine their country's leadership.
“He has the support of the Ukrainian people, and they have the right to decide,” Sybiga said in a post on X.
Comments Follow Russian Diesel Agreement
Trump's criticism came just hours after his administration announced an agreement involving Russian diesel supplies to the United States and global markets.
Trump said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by another 500,000 tons in November and approximately one million tons afterward. He also referred to the possibility of a further three million tons depending on Russian refinery conditions.
The US Treasury subsequently temporarily eased sanctions to permit qualifying transactions involving Russian-origin diesel.
The agreement has angered Ukrainian officials because Kyiv argues that allowing Russia to generate additional revenue from energy exports could provide Moscow with funds to continue its military operations.
Zelenskyy had already criticised the arrangement, warning that additional Russian export revenue could be used to finance weapons production and other military activities.
Trump Links Ukrainian Refinery Strikes to Fuel Prices
Trump has also linked Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil infrastructure to rising diesel prices.
According to Trump, he had previously told Zelenskyy that Ukraine could continue fighting Russian forces but should not attack Russian refineries.
“I said to him: ‘do what you want, don’t hit refineries,’” Trump told reporters.
Trump argued that the attacks were contributing to problems in global energy markets and hurting American farmers, ranchers and other diesel users.
The comments come as US diesel prices have risen sharply, creating additional economic pressure on businesses and consumers. AP reported that Trump has sought to connect the high fuel costs with Ukraine's attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, while other reporting has pointed to broader factors affecting global energy markets, including disruptions associated with the war involving Iran.
Trump’s Territorial Claim Disputed
Trump's statement that Ukraine has lost 30% of its territory does not align with independent estimates cited by major news organisations.
The Associated Press and other outlets reported that independent estimates put the amount of Ukrainian territory currently under Russian control at about 20%, rather than 30%.
The casualty figure Trump cited also requires context. Reliable current estimates of total Ukrainian and Russian military and civilian deaths remain difficult to establish because of the ongoing conflict and the lack of comprehensive independently verified figures.
Trump's statement referred to more than one million people being killed, while CBS/AP reported that he also used a higher figure of more than two million when discussing casualties on both sides.
Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Must Decide Its Leadership
Trump's call for a new Ukrainian president has put the question of Ukraine's political leadership at the centre of the latest dispute between Washington and Kyiv.
Zelenskyy has rejected the idea that his leadership should be determined from outside Ukraine. In a separate interview with ABC News on Sunday, he said he would be prepared to organise elections if Russia agreed to a 60-day complete ceasefire.
Zelenskyy also stressed that decisions about Ukraine's leadership belong to Ukrainians.
The issue is particularly sensitive because Ukraine remains under wartime conditions, with Russian attacks continuing across the country.
On Saturday, Russian strikes in the Zaporizhzhia region killed at least 20 people, including three children, according to Ukrainian officials cited by CBS and AP. The attacks came as the dispute over US policy toward Russia intensified.
Tensions Between Washington and Kyiv Intensify
Trump's comments mark another major deterioration in his public relationship with Zelenskyy.
The disagreement now involves several interconnected issues: the future of US support for Ukraine, negotiations with Russia, Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, US fuel prices and Washington's decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports.
For Kyiv, the concern is that greater Russian energy revenue could weaken economic pressure on Moscow. For Trump's administration, the diesel agreement has been presented as a way of increasing fuel supplies and addressing high prices in the United States.
The two governments therefore remain divided over whether economic engagement with Russia can help address immediate fuel pressures while Washington simultaneously seeks an end to the war.
Trump's call for Ukraine to choose a new president adds another layer to that dispute, while Ukrainian officials insist that the country's political future must be determined by Ukrainians themselves.
