Trump calls for Ukraine to replace Zelenskyy as president

Summarised from 4 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 10 Oct, 20:07 · Archive

President Trump said Saturday that Ukraine should elect a new president, criticising Volodymyr Zelenskyy for failing to end the war with Russia.

President Trump said on Saturday that Ukraine should elect a new president, criticising Volodymyr Zelenskyy for failing to end the war with Russia. Speaking to reporters at the White House as he left for a rally in Tennessee, Trump said he had suggested that Zelenskyy make a peace deal, but claimed that 'for some reason' Zelenskyy 'never does'.

Trump stated that Zelenskyy had 'lost 30% of your country' and claimed over a million people had been killed. He said the war 'should have never been started'. Independent estimates put the percentage of Ukrainian territory under Russian control at 20 per cent, with British defence officials recently stating that about half a million Russian soldiers had been killed in the war. No reliable recent estimates are available for Ukrainian deaths.

Trump also warned Kyiv against targeting Russian oil refineries. He said he had told Zelenskyy to 'do what you want' against Russia but 'don't hit refineries'. Trump claimed that hitting refineries causes 'a world problem'. Average US diesel prices have topped six dollars per gallon, hitting American farmers and consumers with higher costs.

The fiery comments came hours after Trump's administration announced a deal to have Russia supply 300,000 metric tons of diesel to the US and global energy markets. Trump described this as a direct response to Ukraine's continued targeting of Russian oil refineries despite his request. Some Republicans have criticised the diesel deal, which gets around economic pressure meant to persuade Putin to stop the war.

DW News reports that Zelenskyy condemned the US diesel scheme on Friday, saying it will 'fill Russia's war chest and allow Moscow to step up attacks'. Trump has blamed rising fuel prices on Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil infrastructure over recent weeks.

How it is being reported

• Trump calls for new president in UkraineUS President Trump criticised Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he called for new leadership in Ukraine.Al Jazeera · 10 Oct, 19:50
• Trump tees off on Zelensky: ‘Time for Ukraine to get a new president’President Donald Trump said Saturday that “it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president,” railing at Volodymyr Zelensky, and claiming he has not done enough to end his country’s war that has raged since Russia invaded four years ago.Independent World · 10 Oct, 18:56
• Trump slams Zelenskyy, says Ukraine should elect new presidentPresident Trump has criticized Volodymyr Zelenskyy for not making a deal with Russia to end the Ukraine war. He has also warned Kyiv against targeting Russian oil refineries.DW News · 10 Oct, 18:48
• Trump says Ukraine should elect a new presidentPresident Trump has criticized Volodymyr Zelenskyy for not making a deal with Russia to end the Ukraine war. He has also warned Kyiv against targeting Russian oil refineries.DW News · 10 Oct, 18:46
• Trump rips into Volodymyr Zelensky — insisting it’s time for Ukraine to ‘get a new president’President Trump ripped into Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday telling reporters outside the White House that it's time for Ukraine to “get a new president.”New York Post · 10 Oct, 18:37

In this story: Donald Trump · Volodymyr Zelenskyy · Vladimir Putin · Ukraine · Russia · United States

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem