Trump calls for Ukraine to choose a new president as relations with Zelensky hit lowest point since Oval Office clash
U.S. President Donald Trump said on October 10 that Ukraine should get a new president. The Wall Street Journal says relations with Volodymyr Zelensky are at their lowest since their February 2025 Oval Office clash.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on October 10 that Ukraine should get a new leader. According to The Wall Street Journal, the remarks show relations between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have sunk to their lowest point since their clash in the Oval Office in early 2025. The news outlet Axios calls the situation a serious crisis.
Trump said Ukrainians should pick a leader who could strike a deal, arguing that Zelensky could have made many agreements but never does. The WSJ says such statements could undermine arrangements Europe has spent the past year and a half building to persuade Trump to keep up U.S. support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia.
Diesel fuel and oil refineries
The statement came a day after Trump agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to let Russian diesel reach U.S. and world markets. Trump said Washington had warned Zelensky he could do whatever he wanted to Russia but should not hit oil refineries, calling that a "world problem." Axios reports he had earlier demanded an end to the strikes, claiming they push up fuel prices in the U.S.
The U.S. Treasury Department has already issued Russia a license to supply diesel to the global market despite sanctions; it is valid until April 7, 2027. Zelensky called the move an obvious weakness and said allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is an investment in the war. On October 11 he said strikes on refineries would stop if Russia stopped hitting Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Reactions
Journalist Paul Ronzheimer wrote that Trump's remarks shocked Kyiv. In his account, Kyiv's biggest fear is a halt to intelligence sharing, which already happened once after the February 2025 clash. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the president has the people's support and they have the right to decide. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, who criticized the Putin–Trump deal, pledged support for Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries. Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX, whose Starlink provides internet to the Ukrainian military, backed Trump.
