Donald Trump has declared that Ukraine needs "a new leader," roughly one day after striking a deal with Vladimir Putin to purchase large quantities of Russian diesel. Because nothing says "peace through strength" like buying fuel from the guy currently bombing your ally.
The US president suggested Volodymyr Zelenskyy hasn't done enough to end the war with Russia and blamed him for high diesel prices in the US. "I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal because he could have made many deals and for some reason he never does," Trump said, presumably with a straight face.
Trump made these comments as Russia launched deadly strikes on civilians in Ukraine - strikes that Zelenskyy described as a "thanks" to Trump for the diesel deal. Nothing says diplomatic breakthrough quite like a body count.
The Ukrainian president expressed outrage at the agreement announced by Trump on Friday, which the US president claimed was needed to reduce diesel prices. The timing is impeccable: it comes ahead of November's midterm elections, where fuel costs are a key voter issue. Because what's a little geopolitical chaos compared to gas prices at the pump?
The deal appeared to blindside Kyiv, as it was announced while Ukrainian negotiators were in Miami for peace talks. Zelenskyy called it a "gift" to Russia's president. He said Russia would use the money from the fuel sales to invest in its war and that "any easing of sanctions" would play into Russia's hands, "allowing it to kill more, wage war for longer."
That prediction was realized hours later, when Ukrainian officials announced that a barrage of Russian strikes on the country's south-east early on Saturday had killed 20 people, including three children.
"Today, Russia expressed its thanks for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia," Zelenskyy said on social media on Saturday. "Last night confirmed once again that in Russia, they take any easing of pressure to mean they can keep fighting, to mean they can keep dropping bombs on cities. Different signals are needed," he said.
There were also "large-scale power outages" in the capital, Kyiv, according to the country's largest private energy provider. Andy Burnham reiterated his "complete solidarity" in a call with Zelenskyy, and the leaders agreed to meet in person in the coming days. The prime minister said he recognized the past day had been "difficult for Ukraine," and the two discussed the importance of keeping up pressure on Russia, No 10 said.
In stark contrast to Zelenskyy's open frustration with Trump, a Kremlin readout of Friday's call between the US president and Putin was glowing. Russian news agency Interfax quoted an aide as saying it was "very substantive and friendly." "Neither wanted to be the first to hang up," said Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov. "They hung up simultaneously, literally at the same time." Zelenskyy has previously said Putin is playing games with Trump. Shocking.
The diesel deal disrupts four years of western financial pressure on Moscow and leaves Kyiv's allies in Europe and Nato scrambling to adapt their sanctions plan. The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the diesel deal "provides Moscow with more revenues to wage war." "This is not the time to ease pressure on Russia, and Europe won't," she said on Saturday. "On Monday, EU foreign ministers intend to approve the biggest set of sanctions listings targeting Russia's war machine since the start of the war." She was referring to plans to formally add 1,600 new individuals and entities to the EU's sanctions blacklist.
Major European governments have attempted to balance their diplomatic and trade relationships with a mercurial Trump and their support for Ukraine. German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said Berlin "remains committed to the sanctions imposed on Russia and is working with its European partners on further sanctions," adding that support for Ukraine "remains unwavering." Ulf Kristersson, the Swedish prime minister, expressed "regret" at the US agreement, saying energy revenues were "a vital source of funding Russia's war of aggression."
Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Russia "must feel its losses" and has promised to respond. In the Russian-occupied Luhansk region, Ukrainian attacks in the past 24 hours had killed four civilians and wounded five, according to the region's Russian-installed governor, Leonid Pasechnik. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready to take "de-escalatory steps" in the war but only if Russia did the same.
Russia's fuel production has become a key point of contention between Zelenskyy and Trump, who has attempted to stop Ukraine from bombing Russian refineries, which he says exacerbates a global diesel shortage. The Ukrainian leader has rejected such requests unless Russia stops attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure. The Financial Times reported that during the talks in Miami, Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner raised the possibility that US intelligence sharing could be cut off if Kyiv did not halt the strikes. Because nothing encourages peace like threatening to blind your ally.