'Ukraine should get new prez': Trump targets Zelenskyy after diesel deal with Russia
Donald Trump has called for a change in Ukrainian leadership, criticizing Volodymyr Zelenskyy's handling of the war while announcing a policy shift regarding Russian diesel. Zelenskyy responded by condemning the easing of restrictions, arguing it funds Russian military aggression.
Why it matters
This highlights a significant divergence in foreign policy strategy between the current Ukrainian administration and the incoming US political leadership regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
US president Donald Trump on Saturday said Ukraine should get a new president, blaming Volodymyr Zelenskyy for failing to end the war with Russia, a day after announcing a deal to ease restrictions on Russian diesel supplies amid elevated US fuel prices.Speaking at the White House, Trump said, “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal,” adding that “for some reason (Zelenskyy) never does”.Trump also claimed that the war could have been prevented had he been US president in 2022. “There was no reason that that war with Ukraine and Russia started. It started due to incompetence,” he said.Criticising the toll of the conflict, Trump said Zelenskyy had “lost 30% of your country” and claimed that more than two million people had been killed. He added: “That's a war that should have never started.
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