After the agreement with Vladimir Putin on diesel, which outrages Kiev and leaves European allies perplexed, Donald Trump returns to attack Volodymyr Zelensky and this time openly calls for a change in the leadership of Ukraine. “The time has come for Ukraine to have a new president,” the American president said, answering questions from journalists at the White House. At the center of his criticism are the Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries: according to Trump, they would worsen the global shortage of diesel and would also harm US farmers.
“I suggest that Ukraine find a new leader who can reach an agreement,” he said. The American president accused Zelensky of having let various possibilities of ending the conflict pass by: “For I don’t know what reason Zelensky never makes agreements.” And again: “He could have solved this war many times, but he prefers not to.”
“We told him not to target Russian diesel”
The statements came after the announcement of the delivery of Russian diesel to the United States. Trump claimed to have already asked Kiev to avoid attacks on refining plants due to the consequences on fuel supplies.
“We told him he could do whatever he wants, but to avoid hitting the refineries because that would cause a worldwide problem,” he said. Then he insisted: “We told him not to hit Russian diesel, and what did he do? He hit Russian diesel. He better stop.”
The American president also linked the attacks to the difficulties of farmers in the United States, who use diesel fuel for their activities. “Zelensky wants to create problems for the world. He wants to create problems for our farmers by hitting Russian refineries,” he accused.
Zelensky’s anger over the diesel agreement and the new mission in Moscow
Trump’s sentences come as the president’s two envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, could travel to Moscow, Russia, “in the next two weeks”, as also confirmed by the Russian news agency “Tass”.
And the opening to Russian diesel had been harshly contested by the Ukrainian president: “Russia has chosen war and will be willing to put an end to it only when it perceives that its ability to prolong the conflict is failing. Unfortunately, the signals that Russia received yesterday were of a completely different nature, suggesting that it could continue its attacks undisturbed. It is necessary to correct this situation. Strong signals are needed from the United States, Europe and other partners: signals in support of Ukraine and aimed at limiting the Russia’s ability to wage war and sow terror” Zelensky wrote on X.
An appeal to which Trump himself responded not even too indirectly, even taking the EU by surprise. Kaja Kallas, EU representative for Foreign Affairs, commented on Trump’s opening with a clear statement: “The stop to sanctions on Russian diesel finances Moscow’s war”. Now the American president is making matters worse just as the midterm elections are approaching.