Trump suggests Ukraine needs a new president, blasting Zelenskyy

Catherine Lucey, Bloomberg News on Oct 10, 2026

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President Donald Trump demanded that Volodymyr Zelenskyy halt attacks on Russian oil refineries and suggested he should consider stepping aside as Ukraine’s president, escalating a fight centered on securing more diesel supplies for the U.S. ahead of the midterm elections.

“I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday as he unleashed an angry critique of Zelenskyy, saying Ukraine needs a leader “who can make a deal” with Russia.

“There’s plenty of targets,” Trump said. “Don’t hit refineries.”

Zelenskyy previously blasted the U.S. decision to help release Russian diesel fuel into the global markets, which includes a Treasury waiver for some sanctioned Russian fuel.

Trump said Friday he was working with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the diesel release, upending years of sanctions as the White House seeks ways to tame soaring fuel prices ahead of the Nov. 3 elections. Zelenskyy quickly complained that the move will give Russia more resources to continue the war.

On Friday, Ukrainian negotiators left a day early than planned from Miami, where they’d been talking with Trump envoys on ways to end Russia’s full-scale of invasion of its neighbor. Hours later, at least 20 people were killed when Russia struck residential buildings in Ukraine.

Trump announced a series of cargoes beginning this month that he said would initially total about 13.5 million barrels, initially. A Kremlin statement cited Putin as saying that Russia’s ready “to supply oil and petroleum products to the U.S. and global markets.”

Following the U.S. announcement, Germany and the U.K. issued statements confirming their commitment to maintaining strong sanctions on Russia. U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke with Zelenskyy on Satruday and will meet him in person in the coming days, according to a Downing Street spokesperson, who reaffirmed London’s complete support for Ukraine.

Diesel, the fuel often dubbed the workhorse of the global economy, has been thrust into the spotlight as a massive supply crunch sent pump prices to records and stoked concerns over energy-driven inflation.