Ukrainians will decide their next leader, Zelensky tells Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to calls from U.S. President Donald Trump to replace him, stating that it is up to the Ukrainian people to choose their own leader. According to the Jerusalem Post, Zelensky told ABC's This Week that he would organize elections if Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a 60-day total ceasefire. The Kyiv Independent notes that Ukrainian law currently forbids elections during the martial law declared following the Russian invasion.

The exchange follows comments from Trump, who told reporters at the White House that he believes it is time for Ukraine to get a new president who can make a deal. The Jerusalem Post reports that Trump also criticized Zelensky for attacking Russian oil refineries, following the temporary lifting of U.S. sanctions on Russian fuel.

Zelensky stated that Ukraine is ready to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries if Moscow stops its strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. He also noted that while Ukraine is often blamed for rising fuel prices, global price increases are understood to be due to the war in the Middle East.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Jerusalem Post, Kyiv Independent, Euronews — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.