Trump Says Ukraine Needs ‘New Leader’ Amid Backlash Over Russian Diesel Deal

President Trump on Saturday escalated tensions with Ukraine’s leadership, declaring that the country needs new leadership while defending a controversial deal to import Russian diesel fuel.Speaking to reporters as he left the White House to hit the campaign trail, Mr. Trump said Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, “wants to make problems for the world” by continuing to authorize strikes on Russian oil refineries. “He’d better damn well stop,” Mr. Trump said, before adding that Ukraine should “get a new leader who can make a deal.” The comments came one day after Mr. Trump announced an agreement with President Vladimir Putin to suspend sanctions on Russian diesel exports until April 7, a move aimed at easing fuel prices ahead of November’s midterm elections. Mr. Trump confirmed Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, with additional shipments of 500,000 tons in November and up to 1 million tons shortly after.Mr. Zelenskyy swiftly condemned the arrangement, warning it would hand Moscow fresh revenue to continue its war. “It plays into Russia’s hands — allowing it to kill more, wage war for longer, have even less respect for America, and inflict even greater losses and damage on the world,” he wrote online. The Ukrainian Embassy at Washington later quoted him calling the move “a weak decision, unfortunately, a weak decision by strong partners.”Mr. Zelenskyy also linked the deal to a deadly attack on Zaporizhzhia, where Russian glide bombs struck residential buildings, killing at least 17 persons, including three children. “Today, Russia expressed its thanks for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia,” he wrote on X.Mr. Trump defended his position by pointing to Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. “We said, ‘You can do whatever you want to Russia; don’t hit the refineries,’ because that’s a world problem that’s caused,” he told reporters. He went on to blame Mr. Zelenskyy for failing to end the war sooner, claiming, “He could have made many deals, and for some reason, he never does.”European leaders pushed back against the diesel agreement. European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said suspending sanctions “provides Moscow with more revenues to wage war,” adding that “this is not the time to ease pressure on Russia, and Europe won’t.” The EU is set to approve its largest sanctions package against Russia since the 2022 invasion.Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski of Poland also voiced skepticism, with Mr. Sikorski questioning whether Russia could even fulfill the deal given reported fuel shortages at Moscow and significant damage to Russian refining capacity.The diesel agreement marks a reversal of Mr. Trump’s own sanctions law signed last month, which targeted Russian oil and gas revenues. As fuel prices continue straining American consumers ahead of the midterms, the deal underscores the political pressures shaping Mr. Trump’s approach to the conflict.

Trump Says Ukraine Needs ‘New Leader’ Amid Backlash Over Russian Diesel Deal

Trump Says Ukraine Needs ‘New Leader’ Amid Backlash Over Russian Diesel Deal

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