President Donald Trump said Saturday that it is time for Ukraine to get a new president, delivering his sharpest public attack yet on Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid a growing row over a Russian diesel deal and Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries. Speaking to reporters outside the White House as he departed for a campaign rally in Tennessee, Trump said Zelenskyy had repeatedly failed to strike a peace deal with Moscow and told Kyiv to stop hitting refineries, warning: "He'd better damn well stop."
The comments, made on the afternoon of October 10, 2026, landed one day after Trump announced that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to the United States and global markets — an announcement that required the US to temporarily ease sanctions on Russian fuel and that drew swift condemnation from Kyiv. It is the latest sign of a deepening rift between Washington and Kyiv, with Trump openly tying the war's continuation to Ukraine's own leadership.
What Trump said on Saturday
Trump's core message was blunt: Ukraine needs a different leader, one who can make a deal with Russia. "I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal, because he could have made many deals that, for some reason, he never does," he said, according to TRT World. "I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president."
He accused Zelenskyy of passing up many chances to end the fighting, calling the situation very difficult and insisting: "It's a war that should have never been started," per the New York Post.
He also repeated his long-standing claim that the war would never have started on his watch. "That war would have never started," he said, per NDTV. "There was no reason that that war with Ukraine and Russia started. It started due to incompetence."
Trump linked his frustration directly to the human and territorial cost of the conflict, telling reporters that Zelenskyy had "lost 30% of your country" and that the war had killed more than a million people — figures Trump stated as his own claims, which have not been independently verified.
The refinery strikes behind the row
The immediate trigger for Trump's outburst was Ukraine's continuing campaign against Russian oil refineries. Trump said he had told Zelenskyy directly to leave the refineries alone — and that Kyiv ignored him.
"I said to him: 'do what you want, don't hit refineries,'" Trump told reporters, per the New York Post. He framed the strikes as a global problem rather than a Ukrainian tactic: "We told them, do whatever you want, but don't hit the diesel fuel because there's a big problem. Big shortage," he said, according to TRT World.
Trump argued the strikes are making life worse for ordinary Americans, not just for Russia. He said the refinery attacks drive up fuel prices and "want to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers with diesel fuel," pointing out that Russia supplies a large share of the world's diesel. With average US diesel prices topping $6 per gallon, the issue cuts straight into the November 3 midterm elections — Trump was heading to Tennessee, with party operatives pointing to fuel costs in tight races across agricultural states including Iowa and Kansas.
The diesel deal that split Washington and Kyiv
Friday's announcement of a diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin is the backdrop to Saturday's remarks. Under the agreement, Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to the US and global markets, with another 500,000 tons in November, one million tons shortly after, and potentially three million tons more depending on the condition of Russian refineries. To make it happen, the Trump administration temporarily eased US sanctions on Russian fuel — a sharp reversal of years of American policy aimed at squeezing Moscow's energy revenue.
The backlash was fast. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) posted on X Friday that easing sanctions would hand Moscow revenue for its war machine and embolden more violence, according to the New York Post. Germany said Saturday it would keep its Russia sanctions in place, defying the US move, with other European allies also pushing back.
Zelenskyy calls the deal "a weak decision"
Zelenskyy's response to the diesel deal came fast and furious. He called it "unworthy of our partners" and "a weak decision," describing it as an investment in a war that must be ended, according to Oneindia and TRT World. He tied the easing of sanctions directly to Russian brutality: "Today, Russia expressed its thanks for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia," Zelenskyy said on X.
The Zaporizhzhia attack itself underscored his point. Russian strikes killed at least 20 people — including three children — and wounded at least 18 in the southeastern region on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said, according to the Associated Press. Missiles also struck Kyiv in a daytime attack on the capital Saturday. Kyiv says more than 60 people have been killed by escalating Russian bombardments over the past four days.
At the time of publication, Zelenskyy had not publicly responded to Trump's "new president" remarks themselves; his Saturday criticism was aimed squarely at the diesel deal.
Why it matters
This is not just rhetoric. A sitting US president publicly calling for an ally's leader to be replaced is extraordinary — and it lands while the US is actively reshaping its economic relationship with Russia, Kyiv's enemy. The diesel deal hands Moscow fresh revenue and political breathing room; the "new president" demand signals that Washington's patience with Zelenskyy has run out. For Ukrainians, the message is chilling: their most important partner now frames their elected president as the obstacle to peace. For Europe, which is holding the sanctions line, it widens an already painful transatlantic split.
What happens next
Watch whether Kyiv answers the provocation — a sharp response from Zelenskyy would deepen the rupture; silence would suggest Ukraine is trying not to give Trump a pretext to cut aid further. Congress may also weigh in, given McCaul's criticism from inside Trump's own party. And with the midterms three weeks away, expect Trump to keep hammering the fuel-price theme in farm states — the diesel deal and the "new president" line are both aimed squarely at that audience.
Key Takeaways
- Trump said Saturday it is "time for Ukraine to get a new president," accusing Zelenskyy of failing to end the war and of rejecting many possible deals.
- He demanded Ukraine stop striking Russian oil refineries, warning the strikes worsen global diesel shortages.
- The remarks followed Friday's diesel deal: Russia will supply 300,000+ tons of diesel immediately, with the US temporarily easing fuel sanctions.
- Zelenskyy called the deal "unworthy of our partners" and "a weak decision," linking it to Saturday's Russian glide-bomb attack that killed 20 in Zaporizhzhia.
- Republican Rep. Michael McCaul criticized the sanctions easing, warning it would fund the Kremlin's war machine; Germany said it would keep its sanctions.
- Trump's casualty and territory figures ("30% of your country," over a million killed) are his own claims, not independently verified; Zelenskyy has not yet responded to the "new president" remarks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly did Trump say about Zelenskyy on Saturday?
Trump told reporters it is "time for Ukraine to get a new president," demanded Kyiv stop hitting refineries, and accused Zelenskyy of refusing many chances to settle the war. The New York Post, TRT World, and the Associated Press all reported the remarks Saturday. He also claimed the war would never have started under his earlier presidency.
Why is Trump angry about Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries?
Trump says the strikes drive up global fuel prices and create a "big shortage" of diesel, hurting American farmers and consumers with diesel over $6 per gallon. He claims he told Zelenskyy directly not to hit refineries and that Kyiv ignored him. The issue feeds into November 3 midterm races in agricultural states like Iowa and Kansas.
What is the Trump-Putin diesel deal?
Announced Friday, the deal has Russia immediately supplying more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to US and global markets, followed by 500,000 tons in November and another million soon after. The US temporarily eased sanctions on Russian fuel to allow it; Trump framed it as a move to bring fuel prices down fast.
How has Zelenskyy responded?
Zelenskyy called the diesel deal "unworthy of our partners" and "a weak decision." He said Russia answered the sanctions easing by dropping glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, where at least 20 people — including three children — were killed Saturday. He had not addressed the "new president" remarks at publication time.
Who else has criticized the diesel deal?
Republican Rep. Michael McCaul warned the sanctions easing would hand Moscow revenue for its war machine and embolden more violence. Germany said Saturday it would maintain its Russia sanctions, defying the US move, and other European allies echoed the pushback. Ukraine says escalating Russian bombardments have killed more than 60 people over the past four days.
What happens next?
All eyes are on Kyiv's response to the "new president" demand — retaliation would widen the US-Ukraine rift, while silence could signal Ukraine is avoiding a pretext for aid cuts. Congress may scrutinize the sanctions easing, and Trump is expected to keep pressing the fuel-price issue in farm states as the November 3 midterms approach.
Sources
- New York Post — "Trump rips into Volodymyr Zelensky — insisting it's time for Ukraine to 'get a new president'"
- TRT World — "Trump calls on Ukraine to replace Zelenskyy, 'get new president'"
- The Times — "Ukraine needs a new president, Trump says in diesel row"
- NDTV — "Think It's Time For Ukraine To Get New President: Trump Rips Into Zelensky"
- Oneindia — "'Get A New Leader': Trump Says Ukraine Needs President Who Can Make Peace Deal With Russia"
- Tribune India (ANI) — Trump on the diesel deal volumes
Related on Global Desk News: the Trump-Putin diesel deal · Germany keeps its Russia sanctions · Saturday's missile attack on Kyiv.
By GlobalDeskNews Staff