US President Donald Trump on Saturday called for Ukraine to replace its leader, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and criticised Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. His remarks came a day after he announced a diesel supply deal with Russia, which drew a sharp rebuke from Zelenskiy.
In some of his harshest comments yet about the White House, Zelenskiy linked the US lifting of sanctions on Russian diesel to a Russian attack that same day in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia. The attack killed 20 people, including three children. Rising global diesel prices, which followed the outbreak of the Iran war in February, have become a political problem for Trump’s Republican Party ahead of next month’s midterm elections.
Zelenskiy says the diesel deal emboldened Moscow
Zelenskiy said Trump’s Friday announcement of the deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin had encouraged Moscow. Kyiv has instead asked Washington to press Moscow into serious negotiations to end the war, which is now four and a half years old.
The Russian government said on Saturday that it had partially lifted a ban on diesel exports. Zelenskiy responded sharply, saying: “Today, Russia said thank you for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia.”
He added that the latest attack showed Russia read any easing of pressure as a signal that it could keep fighting and keep bombing cities. “Different signals are needed,” he said.
Deadly strikes hit Zaporizhzhia and other cities
Zaporizhzhia has been a regular target of Russian bombardment, and the strikes have intensified over the past few months. On Saturday, a six-year-old girl was among those killed when one strike reduced part of an apartment block to rubble.
Her grandfather, Anatoliy Chumniy, stood sobbing over her body, which lay on the ground in a white bag after rescuers pulled it from the wreckage. “Her birthday would have been at the end of the month,” he said through tears.
The attack was the third mass-casualty strike on Ukraine this week. Russian strikes on Wednesday and Thursday killed nearly 80 civilians. At least 30 died from a bomb in the eastern garrison city of Kramatorsk, and 22 others were killed by a missile in the town of Pryluky, about 130 km (80 miles) east of Kyiv.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke with Zelenskiy on Saturday and said Britain would strengthen its sanctions on Russia, according to a Downing Street spokesperson. The spokesperson added that the two leaders would meet in person in the coming days.
Trump blames Zelenskiy as lawmakers and analysts push back
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said it was time for Ukraine to get a new president. He said Zelenskiy had hurt global diesel supplies with strikes on Russian refineries, adding that Russia supplies a large share of the world’s diesel fuel.
Trump also criticised Zelenskiy for the lack of a peace agreement while demanding an end to Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy facilities. “I said to him, ‘Do what you want. Don’t hit refineries. There’s plenty of targets. Don’t hit refineries.’ And he went out and he hit,” Trump said. He added: “He better damn well stop.”
The diesel deal also drew criticism from US lawmakers, including Representative Don Bacon, one of Trump’s fellow Republicans. Bacon said it was time to apply more sanctions that Congress had recently passed, rather than lift them.
Analysts said the agreement was unlikely to lead to sustained lower fuel prices. They noted that the volumes involved remain much lower than what Russia normally exports when its refineries are not under attack.
Peace talks stall after Miami negotiations
The latest strikes followed talks in Miami on Friday between Ukrainian and European officials and US negotiators. According to a person familiar with the discussions, the meetings aimed to develop a common proposal for ending the war.
Trump announced the diesel deal while those negotiations were under way, a move Zelenskiy said had caught Kyiv by surprise. The Ukrainian delegation was heading home on Saturday, according to presidential aide Dmytro Lytvyn, who was cited by the Interfax Ukraine news agency.
Putin said after a call with Trump on Friday that an immediate resumption of peace talks was unlikely, citing Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow. Russian state news agency TASS reported on Saturday, citing a source, that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner may visit Moscow within the next two weeks.
