President Trump escalated his confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, telling reporters at the White House that Ukraine should replace Zelensky with "a new leader who can make a deal."
The remarks followed Zelensky's condemnation of Trump's Friday announcement that Russian President Vladimir Putin would supply more than 300,000 tons of Russian diesel to global markets under a sanctions-easing arrangement aimed at lowering U.S. fuel prices. Zelensky called the deal an "investment in a war that must be ended," accusing Moscow of responding to the sanctions relief by dropping glide bombs on Zaporizhzhia — an attack that killed 20 people, including three children.
Trump also demanded that Ukraine halt its strikes on Russian refineries, warning that Zelensky "had better damn well stop."
The exchange marks a sharp deterioration in U.S.-Ukraine relations and raises fresh questions about the future of American support for Kyiv as the war grinds on.
