The former U.S. president, Donald Trump, said on Saturday that Ukraine needs a new head of state after President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised a U.S. agreement to import diesel from Russia.
Trump told reporters as he left the White House that Zelensky’s insistence on attacking Russian refineries was "building problems for the world" and urged Ukraine to elect a leader who could negotiate a cease‑fire.
Zelensky warned that the agreed suspension of sanctions on Russian diesel would give Moscow a new source of war funding, enabling it to buy new weapons and sustain its conflict with Ukraine.
Trump’s comments come as the United States works to curb fuel prices before the mid‑term elections, a move he says will bolster public support after the cost of petrol and diesel spiked during the Russia‑Ukraine war.
E.U. foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas echoed the criticism, adding that suspending sanctions would provide Moscow with additional revenues to finance its war machine and that Europe would not ease pressure on Russia during the next sanctions cycle.
Both sides assert that military strikes have intensified, targeting energy infrastructure and logistics hubs. The diesel arrangement has sparked debate over its strategic consequences and its impact on the broader geopolitical landscape.
