President Donald Trump suggested that Ukraine change its leader after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized a US decision to let Russian diesel reach global markets. According to BBC, Trump said that “it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.” He also urged Zelensky to stop approving strikes on Russian refineries.
Zelensky described the diesel arrangement as a gift for Putin and said the revenue would help fund Russia’s war effort. He has also proposed a reciprocal de-escalation arrangement on energy infrastructure. Trump framed the dispute around deal-making and said Zelensky could have reached many agreements, a theme that also ran through Trump saying he settled eight wars in recent remarks.
Martial law has applied across Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion, so national elections are suspended. Trump has previously called for a vote in Ukraine. Zelensky has said the country would need at least 60 days to prepare for an election.
What the diesel deal covers
Trump announced the agreement with Putin on Friday. Under the volumes he described, Russia would supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel immediately and 500,000 in November. One million more would follow, then another three million within a short period. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 135 on the same day, authorizing transactions involving Russian-origin diesel until April 7, 2027.
Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced the end of a diesel export ban that had been in place since July. He said domestic needs can still be met while the agreed volumes go abroad. Poland’s foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, has questioned whether Russia can deliver the fuel, noting fuel shortages in Moscow.
The war involving Iran has also pushed global energy prices higher, adding pressure on fuel supplies as the United States heads toward its midterm elections. Trump has linked rising US diesel costs to Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry says those strikes have knocked out more than half of Russia’s oil refining capacity, and long lines have formed at Russian gas stations.
On Sunday, Trump declared an energy truce between Moscow and Kyiv. Zelensky said Russia kept striking Ukrainian energy facilities afterward. He added that he would accept an energy ceasefire only if it included a halt to attacks on Ukraine’s power grid. On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said contacts are ongoing, with no commitment to a ceasefire.
The European Union approved a new sanctions package against Russia on Monday, adding about 1,600 listings. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described it as the largest single expansion since the full-scale invasion began. More than half of the listings are tied to ballistic missile production. Downing Street also said Britain’s prime minister, Andy Burnham, spoke with Zelensky and offered the country’s solidarity.
Published: Oct 12, 2026 03:20 pm