Trump Calls for Ukraine to Replace Zelenskyy as Russian Strikes Kill 20

President Donald Trump called on Ukraine to replace President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday, October 10, saying a new leader could reach a deal to end Russia’s war. His remarks came as Ukrainian officials reported that Russian strikes had killed at least 20 people in the Zaporizhzhia region. Trump’s statement was a call for a change in Ukraine’s leadership, not an announcement that Zelenskyy had left office or that the United States had ended talks with Kyiv.

Speaking to reporters before leaving the White House, Trump said, “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal.” He accused Zelenskyy of passing up opportunities to settle the war and said Ukraine needed a new president. Trump also blamed Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries for worsening diesel prices affecting Americans, including farmers.

Why did Trump call for a new Ukrainian president?

The comments followed a dispute over Trump’s diesel agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Friday, October 9, Trump announced that Russia would supply diesel to the United States and other markets. The U.S. Treasury Department then issued a temporary license permitting transactions involving the sale, delivery and importation of Russian-origin diesel, including imports into the United States. The license runs through early April 2027; it does not remove all U.S. sanctions on Russia.

Zelenskyy sharply criticized the decision. In an interview with Axios, he said easing restrictions on Russian fuel without an agreement to reduce attacks was unfair. He argued that additional export revenue could help Moscow sustain its war. Zelenskyy also said Ukraine still needed the United States to help bring the fighting to an end.

Trump has urged Ukraine to stop striking Russian energy facilities. Kyiv, meanwhile, has continued to face Russian bombardment. Trump’s assertion that Zelenskyy could have ended the war is his assessment, not an established account of why peace talks have failed. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and any settlement would require agreement on deeply contested issues, including territory and security.

What happened in Zaporizhzhia?

Russian aerial bombs struck residential buildings in the Zaporizhzhia region on Saturday, killing at least 20 people, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said three children were among those killed and at least 18 people were wounded. The toll may change as officials complete their assessment.

The attack followed several days of deadly strikes across Ukraine. Zelenskyy said Russia’s continuing bombardment showed why allowing it to earn more from fuel exports was dangerous. His criticism focused on the potential consequences of the U.S. decision; it did not establish that the diesel agreement caused Saturday’s attack.

Can Ukraine hold a presidential election now?

Trump’s demand does not itself trigger an election. Ukrainian law prohibits presidential elections while martial law is in force, and Ukraine’s Central Election Commission has said the president’s authority continues until a successor can be elected under the law. Zelenskyy won the presidency in 2019; the election that would ordinarily have followed was not held during the war.

For now, Zelenskyy remains Ukraine’s president, while the leadership dispute adds to tensions over how Washington, Kyiv and Moscow might pursue a peace agreement. Trump has called for a different Ukrainian leader, but no agreement to end the war has been announced.