Trump says Ukraine should ‘get a new leader’ as he spars with Zelensky over US-Russia diesel deal

Former President Donald Trump has publicly suggested that Ukraine needs new leadership, escalating a diplomatic dispute with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump criticized Zelenskyy, asserting that his actions, specifically Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, have contributed to global diesel shortages and hindered efforts to secure a peace agreement. Trump stated that Ukraine should "get a new president" who is capable of making a deal to end the protracted conflict.

This development follows Trump's announcement of a controversial deal to acquire Russian diesel, with the aim of reducing soaring fuel prices in the United States ahead of next month's midterm elections. Zelenskyy vehemently condemned the agreement, labeling it a "weak decision" and a "gift" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He argued that lifting sanctions on Russian diesel would financially bolster Moscow's ongoing war efforts and perceived the deal as undermining Western pressure on Russia.

The timing of Trump's diesel agreement, announced while Ukrainian negotiators were reportedly in discussions with US envoys in Miami for peace talks, further inflamed tensions, with Zelenskyy suggesting his team was used as a "smokescreen" for the deal. Ukraine also linked the easing of diesel sanctions to a recent deadly Russian attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia, highlighting the perceived negative consequences of such agreements.