Trump says Ukraine needs a new president, the day after announcing a US-Russia diesel deal

Why it matters

The US president publicly called for a change of leadership in a foreign allied country at war, an unprecedented step in US-Ukraine relations. The demand came immediately after Trump announced a deal with Moscow to ease sanctions on Russian diesel, intensifying Ukrainian concerns that Washington is shifting toward Russia. It also overlapped with active US-Ukraine-Europe talks in Miami, where the Ukrainian delegation said it learned of the diesel deal only after it was announced, and followed reports that the US had threatened to halt intelligence sharing that helps Ukraine strike targets in Russia. The dispute unfolded against a backdrop of renewed heavy Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities, including Zaporizhzhia, the same night.

What happened

On the evening of October 9, Trump announced in a Truth Social post what he called an 'extremely successful' phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which the two agreed on Russian diesel supplies to the US and world markets. The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a temporary general license the same day allowing the sale, delivery, offloading, and import of Russian-origin diesel until April 7, 2027. The Kremlin lifted in advance a ban on diesel exports it had imposed in July 2026 in response to intensified Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.

At the time, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were meeting the Ukrainian delegation in Miami to discuss a proposal to end the war. According to The Kyiv Independent and a senior Ukrainian official speaking anonymously, US negotiators informed the Ukrainian side of Trump's intention to lift sanctions on Russian diesel during those talks, but the Ukrainian delegation was not briefed in advance and learned of the full details only after the public announcement. Zelensky said the Ukrainian team felt it was 'used as a screen' and described the treatment as not how partners should behave; the Miami talks ended ahead of schedule, and on October 10 presidential communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said the Ukrainian delegation was heading home.

On the evening of October 9, Zelensky sharply criticized the US decision, calling it a 'weak' move and a 'birthday gift to Putin' that would give Moscow additional billions to continue the war. He linked new Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities to the easing of US pressure.

On October 10, speaking to journalists before departing for Tennessee — variously reported as from the White House or from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland — Trump went further. He said it was 'time for Ukraine to get a new president' who could make a deal to end the war, accused Zelensky of 'never' making deals and of having had 'many, many times' the opportunity to end the war without taking it, and repeated his claim that the full-scale war would not have started if he had been US president in 2022 (some sources render this as 'if he had won the 2020 election'). Trump also said the US had told Zelensky he could 'do whatever he wants with Russia' but should not strike oil refineries, calling diesel 'a world problem' and blaming Ukrainian refinery strikes for problems 'for the world and for American farmers.' He said Zelensky 'had better damn well stop' such attacks and, according to The Kyiv Independent, US negotiators had warned Kyiv of a possible halt to intelligence sharing that helps Ukraine find and strike targets in Russia.

The same night, Russian strikes killed at least 20 people in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, including three children, with at least 18 injured, according to the State Emergency Service. Zelensky said: 'Russia thanks you for lifting sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia.' Russian missiles also struck Kyiv during the day on October 10, with Mayor Vitali Klitschko reporting four wounded. Zelensky discussed strengthening air defense with French President Emmanuel Macron and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, warning of an elevated risk of further missile strikes in the coming days.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Most Ukrainian-language outlets lead with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha's response emphasizing that Zelensky has the support of the Ukrainian people and that choosing a leader is a matter for Ukrainians to decide. Ukrainian coverage frames the diesel deal as harmful to Ukraine — a 'gift to Putin' that will fund further war — and accuses the US of using Kyiv's Miami delegation as a cover for its own negotiations with Moscow. Several Ukrainian outlets highlight the Russian missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv the same night, linking them directly to the easing of US pressure, and stress Zelensky's diplomatic outreach to Macron and Stubb on air defense. One Ukrainian source explicitly flags Trump's claim that Russia occupies 30% of Ukraine's territory as an exaggeration compared with the roughly 19% figure cited as of early October 2026, and rejects Trump's framing of the war's cause as 'incompetence,' attributing it instead to Russian aggression. Ukrainian coverage also stresses the abrupt end of the Miami talks and the Ukrainian delegation heading home, portraying Kyiv as blindsided by the announcement.

How international sources describe it

International English-language outlets lead with Trump's verbatim call for Ukraine to get a new president and his criticism of Zelensky for not making deals. Most international reporting frames the diesel deal primarily as a US domestic political move to lower fuel prices ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, driven in part by the conflict with Iran and its impact on energy markets. Several international pieces note that Trump's envoy Witkoff and Kushner were meeting the Ukrainian delegation in Miami at the time of the announcement, but they generally present this less prominently than Ukrainian sources do. International coverage tends to give more space to Kaja Kallas's criticism and to the planned new EU sanctions package than to Sybiha's response, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev's characterization of Trump's call for Zelensky's replacement as a 'landmark and historic event' is widely cited internationally but given less attention in Ukrainian reporting.

Where reporting differs

Sources differ on where exactly Trump made the October 10 statement: some say at the White House, others at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before departing for Tennessee, and others simply in Maryland or near the White House. There is also a discrepancy in how sources render Trump's claim about the war's prevention: most say he said the full-scale war would not have started if he had been US president in 2022, while a smaller number of sources render it as 'if he had won the 2020 US presidential election.' Some sources also vary slightly in how they report Trump's exact phrasing — 'elect a new president,' 'change the leader,' or 'find a new leader' capable of making deals. On Russian-occupied territory, Trump stated 30% while other reporting cites approximately 19% as of early October 2026.

Background

The diesel deal was struck by phone between Trump and Putin on October 9, with the US Treasury issuing a temporary general license valid through April 7, 2027. Trump had signed a broad Russia sanctions law the previous month aimed at limiting Russian oil and gas revenues funding the war; the diesel deal diverges from that law. The Trump administration has framed the deal as part of an effort to lower US fuel prices ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, amid price pressures linked to the conflict with Iran that began in February. Under martial law declared on February 24, 2022, elections in Ukraine are banned; Zelensky completed seven years in office in April 2026, exceeding the five-year constitutional term. A Kyiv International Institute of Sociology poll published that month found 71% of Ukrainians oppose holding elections during the war, while 53% believe Zelensky should limit himself to one term, with 42% of potential voters saying the current head of state could run again. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said European foreign ministers planned to approve a major new Russia sanctions package the Monday after Trump's statement.