'Time for Ukraine to get a new president': Trump targets Zelenskyy as US eases Russian diesel curbs

US president Donald Trump on Saturday said Ukraine should get a new president, blaming Volodymyr Zelenskyy for failing to end the war with Russia, a day after announcing a deal to ease restrictions on Russian diesel supplies amid elevated US fuel prices.Speaking at the White House, Trump said, “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal,” adding that “for some reason (Zelenskyy) never does”.Trump also claimed that the war could have been prevented had he been US president in 2022. “There was no reason that that war with Ukraine and Russia started. It started due to incompetence,” he said.Criticising the toll of the conflict, Trump said Zelenskyy had “lost 30% of your country” and claimed that more than two million people had been killed. He added: “That's a war that should have never started. And I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president.”Zelenskyy, meanwhile, criticised Washington’s decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel supplies, warning that the move could encourage Moscow to continue its attacks on Ukraine.In a post on X, the Ukrainian president said the consequences of allowing Russia to sell petroleum products were evident in Kyiv, where Russian attacks targeted energy facilities.“The meaning of allowing Russia to sell petroleum products was heard loudest right now in Kyiv, when, after numerous uses of jet-powered "Shaheds" against energy facilities, a ballistic missile attack also began. Some of the missiles were successfully shot down,” Zelenskyy wrote.He accused Moscow of using revenue from energy exports to strengthen its military capabilities, saying: “Every additional billion dollars they can earn from exports, they will spend precisely on this—on sourcing and importing critical components, equipment for weapons production, on enhancing "Shaheds" and manufacturing missiles, and on hiring even more mercenaries for the front lines.”Zelenskyy urged Washington, Europe and other partners to take stronger measures to restrict Moscow’s ability to wage war.Trump announced the diesel agreement on Friday following a phone call with Putin. He said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and a further one million tonnes thereafter. He also referred to an additional supply of three million tonnes within a short period.The US Treasury subsequently eased sanctions on qualifying Russian diesel shipments until April 7 next year. The move came amid elevated American fuel prices linked to the war involving Iran, with energy costs emerging as an issue ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.Russian news agency Interfax had earlier quoted Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov as describing Friday’s call as “very substantive and friendly”. He said it lasted around 90 minutes and that “neither wanted to be the first to hang up”.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.