Trump calls for new Ukrainian president after Zelenskyy criticizes Russia diesel deal
Donald Trump said Ukraine needs a new president after Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized a US-Russia arrangement on diesel fuel supplies. Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ready to hold elections after 60 days of a complete ceasefire.
Image: bbc.com · Author: http://www.facebook.com/bbcnews · source articleEditorial excerpt for news reporting
US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine needs “a new president” after Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized a Washington-Moscow arrangement involving Russian diesel fuel.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready to hold elections if Russia agreed to 60 days of a complete ceasefire. He also said Kyiv was prepared to support reciprocal halts to strikes on energy infrastructure.
US-Russia diesel arrangement
On Friday, Trump said Moscow had agreed to suspend sanctions on Russian diesel exports until April 7. The arrangement envisioned an initial 300,000 tonnes for US and global markets, followed by another 500,000 tonnes in November and additional deliveries of millions of tonnes. Trump said the volumes would depend on the condition of Russia’s refineries.
Zelenskyy said the arrangement would provide Moscow with additional funds to buy military equipment and continue the war. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also criticized the suspension of sanctions, saying Europe would not ease pressure on Russia.
Trump’s remarks and Kyiv’s response
Speaking outside the White House on Saturday, Trump accused Zelenskyy of creating problems for the world by continuing attacks on Russian oil refineries. He said Ukraine needed a leader capable of making a deal.
Zelenskyy gave his response in an ABC News interview on October 11. He said elections could take place after a complete ceasefire and that the decision should belong to the Ukrainian people.
Martial law has been in force in Ukraine since the full-scale war began in 2022, suspending elections. Trump also called for new elections in Ukraine in December last year.
Allied reaction and fuel concerns
Putin representative Kirill Dmitriev called Trump’s intervention historic and said Ukraine needed leadership focused on peace. Elon Musk reposted a video of Trump’s remarks on X, writing that Zelenskyy had gone too far.
The British government said Prime Minister Andy Burnham had spoken with Zelenskyy and expressed “full solidarity.” A spokesperson said they supported an immediate energy truce and an end to attacks on vessels in the Black Sea.
AAA data put the average US diesel price at $6.28 per gallon, compared with $5.94 a month earlier and $3.68 a year earlier. The International Energy Agency estimates that Russian diesel production has fallen by 30%.
What we know
- Donald Trump said Ukraine needs a new president.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy said elections could follow 60 days of a complete ceasefire.
- The US-Russia arrangement initially envisioned 300,000 tonnes of diesel deliveries.
- Kaja Kallas said Europe would not ease pressure on Russia.
- The IEA estimates that Russian diesel production has fallen by 30%.
Trust: Single source
- The story relies on one publisher. A second independent confirmation has not been established from the cited sources.
- Sources: BBC News Україна.
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