Trump says Ukraine should get a new president as he blames Zelenskyy for US diesel prices

President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to elect a new leader on Saturday, claiming Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not succeeded in ending the war with Russia and blaming him for high diesel prices in the United States. Trump suggested that Zelenskyy could have negotiated better deals if he had chosen a different president. The U.S. president struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to buy diesel from Russia just days before the U.S. midterm elections, aiming to address high fuel prices.

Trump blamed Ukraine for the U.S. diesel price hikes, rather than the U.S.-led war in Iran, which has contributed to soaring global energy prices. He also suggested that if he had been U.S. president in 2022, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia would not have started. Independent estimates suggest about 20% of Ukraine's territory is under Russian control, with over a million people displaced and more than 2 million killed.

Russian strikes killed at least 20 people in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region on Saturday, including three children. Zelenskyy criticized the deal, stating that Russia's earnings from the diesel deal will fund weapons and mercenaries, and that Moscow will only cease the war when its ability to fight diminishes. Ukrainian allies expressed disappointment, with Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson saying the agreement would strengthen Russia's war efforts, and Germany reaffirming its commitment to sanctions.