‘Better Damn Well Stop’ – Trump Lambasts Kyiv’s Refinery Attacks, Calls for New President in Ukraine

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump defended the diesel deal he struck with Russia, lambasted Kyiv's strikes on Russian refineries, and advocated for a fresh Ukrainian leader. The remarks came a day after Trump announced the diesel deal, which President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticized for allegedly exacerbating fuel price surges ahead of the US midterm elections.

Trump maintained that Zelensky "wants to make problems for the world, for our farmers with diesel," particularly as diesel prices have skyrocketed above $6 a gallon.

During a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump announced the $1 billion diesel deal, under which Moscow would supply over a million tons of diesel to the global market through 2027. Zelensky dismissed Trump's Miami meeting with US envoys as a "smokescreen," while Trump maintained that Zelensky "chooses not to settle this war," despite multiple opportunities to do so.

The US has been working to negotiate an end to the conflict since Trump took office in 2025. The war's stalemate has led to differing demands between Kyiv and Moscow, with Kyiv seeking a face-off freeze, while Moscow remains insistent on demanding the cession of Ukraine's Donetsk region, an objective that Russian forces have repeatedly failed to accomplish.

Meanwhile, Kyiv's ongoing attacks on Russian refineries have significantly disrupted Russia's fuel supply and dwindled its war coffers, while the Kremlin is banking on extended blackouts to put an end to Ukraine's resilience. Under the terms of the new agreement, Kyiv is expected to halt its attacks on Russian refineries, while Washington has made no corresponding demand that Moscow cease targeting Ukraine's energy grid.

However, Kyiv has refused to back down, pledging to continue striking Russian refineries, according to unnamed sources cited by the Financial Times.