President Donald Trump on Saturday, October 10, 2026, called for new leadership in Ukraine, sharply criticizing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries — a direct clash with Kyiv just days before the US midterm elections. "I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president," Trump told reporters outside the White House.
What Trump said
Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn before departing for a rally in Tennessee, Trump said of Zelenskyy: "You know what I suggest? I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal because he could have made many deals and for some reason, he never does." On the refinery strikes, Trump said the US had told Kyiv: "you can do whatever you want to Russia, don't hit the refineries, because that's a world problem," adding "He better damn well stop." Trump also blamed the war on Ukrainian "incompetence" and said it would never have begun had he been president in 2022.
The diesel deal behind the row
A day earlier, Trump announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed on a call to supply Russian diesel to global markets — 300,000 tons immediately plus 500,000 tons in November, roughly 6 million barrels in total, or about 1.5 days of US demand. The stated aim is to lower US diesel prices, which have climbed above $6 a gallon (a Forbes-tracked figure stood at $6.28 on Friday versus $3.68 a year ago), ahead of next month's midterm elections. A Fox News report described an agreement suspending restrictions on Russian diesel exports until April 7. Energy analysts say the quantities are limited and the US–Iran conflict is the main driver of high prices; former US officials questioned whether Russia even has the cited diesel volume available as Ukrainian strikes strain supplies.
Kyiv pushes back
Ukraine struck five Russian refineries this week, according to CNN, and a US official said Washington had repeatedly asked Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian diesel refineries. At a Friday meeting in Miami, White House negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff pressed Ukrainian officials to stop the strikes; the Wall Street Journal reported an implied threat over intelligence-sharing hung over the meeting, which a US official denied. Zelenskyy offered what he called an "energy ceasefire": Ukraine stops hitting refineries if Russia stops attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure. On X on Oct 9, Zelenskyy called the diesel deal a "gift to Putin" and a "weak decision," warning that "allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged."
Europe reacts
The British government said it would continue its "toughest sanctions regime ever" on Russia and would not follow the US in buying Russian diesel. No 10 said former Labour leader Andy Burnham spoke with Zelenskyy and "reiterated his complete solidarity." The Wall Street Journal described the broadside as the lowest point in the Trump–Zelenskyy relationship since their Oval Office shouting match in early 2025. Overnight, Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia killed between 15 and 20 people, including three children, according to reports.
The dispute pits Trump's push for cheaper fuel before the midterms against Kyiv's strategy of degrading Russia's energy revenues — and leaves the US–Ukraine relationship at its most strained point in years.
Watch: Video report on Trump's call for new Ukrainian leadership over the Russian refinery strikes — coverage of Trump's Oct 10 remarks demanding Zelenskyy be replaced.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Hitman (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0