Trump Calls for New Ukrainian Leader After Zelenskyy Slams Russian Diesel Deal

U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Ukraine to choose a new leader, a day after signing an oil deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal,” Trump told reporters outside the White House on Saturday. “He could have made many deals, and for some reason, he never does,” he added.

The comments come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy launched a massive strike on a major oil hub, hours after the U.S. President took him by surprise by agreeing to ease sanctions on Russian oil, just five weeks before the U.S. midterm elections. Trump announced the agreement with Putin on Friday.

Trump’s Threatens Zelenskyy

The deal paves the way for nearly two million tons of Russian oil to be imported into the United States as he seeks to bolster his approval ratings amid rising fuel prices. “He better damn well stop,” Trump told reporters.

Trump also held Zelenskyy responsible for the outbreak of the war between Russia and Ukraine, blaming it to what he called “incompetence” on the Ukrainian leader’s part. “That’s a war that should have never started. And I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump said.

Trump has faced growing criticism from voters over the war with Iran, which has contributed to a sharp rise in diesel prices. A gallon that cost $3.68 a year ago was selling for $6.28 on Friday.

Trump decided to finalize the agreement with Putin after Zelenskyy rejected his requests to stop attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, according to reports.

“Zelensky is misreading the room. By continuing to hit refineries, he is eroding the good will that he has built with Trump over the last six months,” a U.S. official told Axios.

Ukraine’s strikes on Russia’s oil industry have created a crisis for Putin, although Russia still has surplus diesel available for export.

Russia in No Mood to Stop

Following the Trump-Putin call, Russian forces launched another attack on civilians in Zaporizhzhia, striking while residents were asleep. Seven people were killed, including at least three girls, while 10 others were wounded and 16 people were reported “missing.”

The latest attack brought the number of civilians killed by Russia over three days to nearly 90. The agreement on diesel imports stunned Kyiv, prompting Zelenskyy to accuse Trump of showing “weakness” by giving in to Putin’s demands.

Trump, however, accused Zelenskyy of disregarding six requests to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries. The strikes were pushing up fuel prices, particularly diesel, in the United States ahead of the midterm elections, according to an Axios report.

Russian presidential foreign affairs aide Yury Ushakov said the 90-minute conversation between Trump and Putin was so cordial that “neither side wanted to hang up first.”

Trump also said he was “ready to continue communicating with Vladimir Putin this evening, through the night, and into the next day.”

Zelenskyy responded after admitting that Washington’s decision to suspend sanctions to facilitate Russian diesel imports had caught him off guard.

In a major overnight assault, Ukrainian forces targeted the Yug Rusi oil-loading terminal in Rostov-on-Don, a key facility that handles petroleum products from the Novoshakhtinsk refinery.

The export terminal, which has an annual capacity of 3.5 million tons, was engulfed in fires following an attack involving a swarm of 50 drones. A railway bridge connected to the facility in Rostov-on-Don was also damaged, forcing traffic to stop in both directions. Two ships in the Sea of Azov were reportedly targeted as well.

Ukrainian officials vowed to continue attacking Russian oil facilities despite the developments.