Ukrainian Domestic — 2026-10-11

Trump Calls for Ukraine to Replace Zelensky After President Criticizes Russia Diesel Deal

BLUFTrump's demand to replace Zelensky, lacking any constitutional mechanism under martial law, functions as coercive leverage to halt refinery strikes and force Kyiv into negotiations on Washington's terms.

President Trump said on Saturday that Ukraine should replace President Zelensky with a leader willing to negotiate with Russia, after Zelensky criticized Trump's October 9 deal easing sanctions on Russian diesel exports 1. Trump told reporters Zelensky could have made a deal "many times but chooses not to" and said "I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president," adding that he had asked Zelensky to stop striking Russian oil refineries and that Zelensky "better damn well stop" 12. Meduza reported that the U.S. Treasury issued a temporary license running until April 7, 2027, allowing Russian diesel to reach global markets despite U.S. sanctions, and that Zelensky had responded by calling the diesel deal "not fair and not honest" and a "sign of weakness" that amounted to a "birthday gift" to Putin 12. A U.S. official told Axios that Trump struck the deal after Zelensky ignored half a dozen U.S. requests to stop attacking Russian refineries 1.

Analysis
Trump's call for Ukraine to replace its president is the sharpest Washington-Kyiv rupture since the February 2025 Oval Office confrontation, and it should be read alongside the bipartisan congressional backlash over sanctions relief. Kyiv faces a dilemma: continuing refinery strikes risks antagonizing the White House that controls military aid, while halting them surrenders leverage over Russian revenue. The Treasury license through April 2027 gives the diesel arrangement a durable legal basis that only congressional action could override. Trump's rhetoric may instead be a tactic to pressure Zelensky into stopping strikes, since no constitutional mechanism exists to remove him under martial law and the Rada shows no movement toward impeachment. The claim that Zelensky ignored six U.S. requests rests on one official's account to Axios and remains uncorroborated.

3 sources

Trump tells Ukraine to replace Zelensky over Russia fuel deal - Axios
Trump calls on Ukraine to replace Zelensky - Meduza
Trump calls for Zelensky's replacement amid diesel sanctions dispute - Gulf News