U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Ukraine to replace President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing him of hurting global diesel supplies by targeting Russian oil refineries.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Saturday (10 October), Trump said it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president” and criticised Zelenskyy for continuing attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
Trump’s comments came a day after he announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to resume some diesel exports from Russia. The agreement drew a sharp response from Zelenskyy, who said easing pressure on Moscow had emboldened Russia.
“Today, Russia said thank you for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia,” Zelenskyy said, referring to a Russian attack that killed 20 people, including three children.
The six-year-old girl was among those killed when part of an apartment building was destroyed in the southern Ukrainian city. Her grandfather, Anatoliy Chumniy, was photographed mourning over her body after rescuers recovered it from the rubble.
Trump said Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries were contributing to higher diesel prices and harming American farmers and ranchers.
“I said to him, ‘Do what you want. Don’t hit refineries,’” Trump said, adding, “He better damn well stop.”
He also accused Zelenskyy of failing to reach a peace agreement with Russia, saying Ukraine’s president could have made “many deals” but had not done so.
Zelenskyy has instead urged Washington to increase pressure on Moscow and push it towards serious negotiations to end the war.
Trump’s diesel agreement with Putin has also faced criticism in Washington. Republican Representative Don Bacon said the U.S. should impose additional sanctions recently approved by Congress rather than lift existing measures.
Analysts cited by Reuters said the agreement was unlikely to bring sustained lower fuel prices because Russian exports remain well below normal levels while Ukrainian attacks continue to affect refinery output.
The rise in diesel and other energy prices has become a political issue for Trump and his Republican Party ahead of November’s U.S. midterm elections.
The latest Russian strikes came as Ukrainian and European officials met with U.S. negotiators in Miami on Friday to work on a joint proposal for ending the war.
Trump announced the diesel deal while those discussions were underway, catching the Ukrainian side by surprise, according to a person familiar with the talks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also said an immediate return to peace talks is unlikely, citing Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke with Zelenskyy on Saturday and said Britain would strengthen its sanctions against Russia. The two leaders are expected to meet in person in the coming days.
The latest developments leave Washington pressing Kyiv to stop attacks on Russian energy facilities, while Ukraine is seeking stronger pressure on Moscow as Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities continue.
Deep divisions over Russia's war in Ukraine overshadowed a G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta on Friday, as European officials criti...
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estim...
Australia has returned two ancient stone statue heads to China, more than 30 years after they were taken from imperial tombs in central China....
The Middle East conflict remains tense as diplomatic efforts continue alongside renewed Houthi attacks. Iran says it remains open to mediation, while the Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards the kingdom.
Evacuations and the provision of humanitarian aid in the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky have begun, a senior Ukrainian official said on Friday. In a statement on Telegram, David Arakhamia said a six-day ceasefire was holding, and that more details would follow.
Rescuers searched the wreckage of two high-speed trains in central Spain on Thursday as the death toll rose to a provisional 74, making it the country's second fatal high-speed rail disaster this year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia remains willing to rebuild relations with European countries but warned that any wider conflict on the continent would leave no winners, as he commented on recent diplomatic contacts with Nordic leaders and growing security concerns in the Baltic region.
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday as part of efforts to reach a deal between the U.S. and Iran, according to an official briefed on the talks.
Deep divisions over Russia's war in Ukraine overshadowed a G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta on Friday, as European officials criticised Moscow's participation and refused to join a traditional group photograph with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global body responsible for monitoring money laundering and terrorist financing risks, has removed four countries from its so-called “grey list” after determining they had made sufficient progress in addressing weaknesses in their financial cr
The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 5,000, according to government figures released on Friday, as health authorities continue to struggle to contain the country's worst-ever Ebola epidemic.
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment