Kremlin amplifies Trump's call for new Ukrainian leadership; EU pushes back
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Donald Trump told him it is time for Ukraine to have a new president, claiming Trump cited President Volodymyr Zelensky's lack of political will to make the difficult decisions needed to end the war. The comments came after Trump publicly said on 10 October that Ukraine needs a new leader who can deal with Russia and after Washington reached a separate agreement with Moscow on Russian diesel fuel supplies. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas responded that elections in Ukraine cannot be held while the war continues and that international pressure should be directed at Russia.
Key points
- On 10 October, Trump said it was time for Ukraine to have a new president who could make a deal with Russia, accusing Zelensky of insufficient peace efforts and linking this to US diesel prices.
- Peskov quoted Trump as telling him: "It's time for a new president... So far he doesn't" show the political will to end the war.
- On 9 October, Trump announced he had spoken with Putin and agreed on Russian diesel fuel supplies of more than 300,000 tonnes initially, 500,000 tonnes in November, and one million tonnes thereafter.
- Media reported Trump moved on Russian fuel supplies after about six unanswered US requests for Ukraine to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries.
- Zelensky said Ukrainians should choose their own president and that Ukraine would hold elections if Russia agrees to a 60-day ceasefire; he also said Ukraine would stop strikes on Russian oil facilities if Russia halts attacks on Ukrainian energy.
- On 12 October, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said elections in Ukraine cannot take place during wartime and that international pressure should be aimed at Russia.
- After Trump's 11 October claim of an immediate energy ceasefire, Zelensky reported Russian strikes on the CHP-5 thermal power plant in Kharkiv and a power station in Kyiv.
Why it matters
The Kremlin is publicly amplifying and endorsing a call from the US president for regime change in Ukraine, a sharp escalation in rhetoric against Kyiv's leadership. Trump tied the question of Ukrainian leadership to a separate Washington-Moscow deal on Russian diesel fuel supplies, suggesting the two tracks are linked. The EU's top diplomat pushed back, arguing that elections in Ukraine cannot take place during an ongoing war and that international pressure should be focused on Russia, not Kyiv. Zelensky conditioned any elections on Russia accepting a 60-day ceasefire, while Russia continued striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
What happened
On 9 October, Trump announced he had spoken with Vladimir Putin and agreed on Russian diesel fuel supplies to US and world markets, with initial volumes of more than 300,000 tonnes, an additional 500,000 tonnes in November, and one million tonnes thereafter. Media reported that Trump moved on the fuel deal after approximately six US requests to Ukraine to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries went unanswered. On 10 October, Trump publicly said it was time for Ukraine to have a new president who could make a deal with Russia, accusing Zelensky of insufficient peace efforts and linking the criticism to high US diesel prices. On 11 October, Trump claimed Ukraine and Russia had agreed to an immediate energy ceasefire; Zelensky said Russia then struck the CHP-5 thermal power plant in Kharkiv and a power station in Kyiv. On 12 October, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Trump told him it is time for a new Ukrainian president because Zelensky is not showing the political will to make the decisions needed to end the war, and quoted Trump as saying the Ukrainian president must make "very responsible and very difficult decisions." Zelensky responded that Ukrainians should choose their own president and that Ukraine would hold elections if Russia agrees to a 60-day ceasefire, and said Ukraine is ready to stop strikes on Russian oil facilities if Russia halts attacks on Ukrainian energy. Before the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on 12 October, Kaja Kallas said elections in Ukraine cannot take place while the war continues and that pressure should be aimed at Russia.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian outlets center Peskov's remarks and Trump's call for a change of Ukrainian leadership, presenting them as coordinated pressure on Zelensky. They foreground Zelensky's counter-position that Ukrainians themselves should choose their president and that elections are conditional on Russia accepting a 60-day ceasefire. They pair the political rhetoric with reporting that Russia struck the CHP-5 plant in Kharkiv and a power station in Kyiv after Trump's energy-ceasefire claim, framing the Kremlin's words as contradicted by its actions. Kallas's EU-level pushback is featured prominently, including the constitutional argument that elections cannot be held during wartime and that pressure should be directed at Russia.
How international sources describe it
The single non-Ukrainian source in this set, an English-language Azerbaijani agency report, leads with the Kremlin's commentary on Trump's remarks about a change of leadership in Ukraine and tracks Peskov's framing closely rather than Zelensky's response. It does not foreground Kallas's or the EU's response, nor does it give the same weight to the reported Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure that Ukrainian sources emphasize.
Where reporting differs
Sources frame Peskov's account of Trump's position differently: some report him describing what Trump told him he personally believes, while others have him stating that Trump publicly "called for" or "proposed" Ukraine choose a new head of state. The underlying difference is between Trump expressing a personal view in conversation with Peskov and Trump publicly demanding a change of Ukrainian leadership. Sources also differ on when Russia struck Ukrainian energy infrastructure relative to Trump's statements: most connect the strikes on the CHP-5 plant in Kharkiv and a Kyiv power station to Trump's 11 October claim of an immediate energy ceasefire, while others place them after an earlier Trump statement; the targets are consistent across accounts, but the precipitating event is framed differently.
Background
Trump's 9 October announcement of a deal with Putin on Russian diesel supplies to the United States and global markets was followed two days later by his public statement that Ukraine needs a new president who can strike a deal with Russia. Media reported the fuel agreement followed roughly six unanswered US requests for Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries. Zelensky has framed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities as retaliation for years of Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and has said Kyiv would stop such strikes if Russia halts attacks on Ukrainian energy. After Trump's 11 October claim of an immediate energy ceasefire, Zelensky reported Russian strikes on the CHP-5 thermal power plant in Kharkiv and a power station in Kyiv. On 12 October, Kaja Kallas said before the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg that she does not see Russia complying with the energy ceasefire and called for continued pressure on Russia.