<p class="wp-block-paragraph">President Donald Trump on Saturday called for new leadership in Ukraine, indicating a shift in the United States’ relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump has consistently urged both Russia and Ukraine to negotiate an end to the war, which has lasted over four years and resulted in at least two million military casualties.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">During remarks to reporters outside the White House, Trump expressed concerns about Zelensky’s willingness to reach a peace agreement. He suggested that Ukraine should consider a new leader capable of making a deal, highlighting a decline in Zelensky’s rapport with Washington, which has historically provided significant support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“He could have made many deals, and for some reason, he never does,” Trump stated. “Zelensky could have settled this war many times, many many times, and he chooses not to. Very difficult.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This situation follows a history of fluctuating relations between Trump and Zelensky, including a notable meeting in February 2025 that ended in a confrontation, contrasted with Trump previously praising Zelensky as “courageous” in June.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In his recent comments, Trump criticized Zelensky for attacking Russian oil refineries. This criticism comes after the U.S. reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the purchase of Russian diesel fuel. Moscow has agreed to supply diesel to global markets to reduce fuel prices, in exchange for Trump lifting U.S. sanctions on Russian fuel that were intended to limit Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. The U.S. has warned Ukraine that continued strikes on Russian oil refineries could threaten intelligence-sharing between Washington and Kyiv, according to a Financial Times report published Saturday.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“He better damn well stop,” Trump said regarding Zelensky’s authorization of attacks on Russian refineries.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Earlier this month, Ukraine reported that recent strikes on refineries in cities including Moscow, Yaroslavl, Ust-Luga, Perm, Saratov, and Syzran had disabled 51% of Russia’s oil refining capacity. This development is concerning for U.S. officials, who are relying on the new diesel agreement with Russia to help lower fuel prices that have risen due to the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump accused Zelensky of targeting Russia’s oil refineries to create “problems for the world.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“We said you can do whatever you want to Russia, [but] don’t hit the refineries because that’s a world problem,” Trump remarked. “He wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers, with diesel fuel because Russia supplies a large portion of the diesel fuel throughout the world, and we told them, do whatever you want, but don’t hit the diesel fuel because there’s a big problem, a big shortage. And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel.”</p>