Trump Suggests Ukraine Replace Zelensky With a Leader Who Can Make a Deal
Trump’s call for a leadership change in Kyiv follows a dispute over Ukrainian refinery strikes and his diesel agreement with Putin, as US-mediated peace talks continue.
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President Donald Trump suggested Saturday that Ukraine replace Volodymyr Zelensky with a leader who can reach a deal.
“I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump told reporters outside the White House.
“I suggest Ukraine gets a new leader who can make a deal.”
Trump accused Zelensky of repeatedly passing up opportunities to end the war.
He also criticized Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil facilities, saying Kyiv had disregarded his warning to leave diesel supplies alone.
Diesel Deal Deepens Dispute
The remarks followed Trump’s agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow Russian diesel exports to the U.S. and other markets.
Trump presented the arrangement as a way to reduce fuel costs, particularly for farmers, ranchers and truckers.
Ukrainian officials condemned the deal, arguing it would give Moscow additional resources while negotiations to end the war continued.
Zelensky accused Washington of using the talks in Florida as cover for an arrangement with Russia and compared it with earlier U.S.-Russia agreements that he regarded as one-sided.
Trump, meanwhile, blamed Ukrainian refinery attacks for disrupting diesel supplies and increasing prices.
“Zelensky wants to make problems for the world. He wants to make problems for our farmers by hitting Russian refineries.”
He said Ukraine could continue military operations but should not target diesel production. Ukraine has continued striking Russian refineries despite his objections.
Renewed Pressure Over Elections
Trump’s call for a new president extends his earlier criticism of Zelensky’s negotiation approach and his demands for Ukrainian elections.
In a December 2025 interview with Politico, Trump argued that Ukrainians should be able to choose their leadership, while acknowledging that Zelensky could win another vote.
Ukrainian law prohibits elections during martial law, which has remained in force since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
That restriction has kept elections from taking place beyond the scheduled end of Zelensky’s presidential term in 2024.
Zelensky has said elections could be organized within 60–90 days if the U.S. and its allies helped guarantee voter security and parliament amended the legal framework.
He has also indicated that he might not seek another term after the war.
Ahmet Koçak
Ahmet Koçak is a news editor at Clash Report based in Istanbul. He previously served as Deputy Managing Editor at Türkiye Today, helping launch the digital news platform in 2023, and spent three years as Senior Editor at Daily Sabah. His work focuses on breaking news, geopolitics, international affairs, and digital journalism.
Choose Clash Report as a preferred source and see our reporting first in Top Stories.