Europe’s largest countries rallied behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after U.S. President Donald Trump said Ukraine needs a new leader.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that Germany remains on the side of Ukraine and its government and “fully support the President as he carries out his difficult duties.”
British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said: “We stand with President Zelensky.” He stressed that London would like to see “strong Western unity in resolve and support for Ukraine” and said he considered it his duty to help bring that about.
French President Emmanuel Macron also said that Paris “will continue to stand by Ukraine and President Zelensky.”
On Saturday, Trump said Zelensky “could’ve made many deals and for some reason he never does,” and said he believed it was “time for Ukraine to get a new President.”
In response, Zelensky said he’s ready to hold new presidential elections without waiting for the war to end, though he said that would require a 60-day ceasefire. He said he would accept whatever choice the Ukrainian people make. “If President Trump really wants to have some changes in — during elections, I also shared it with his team. So please tell Putin, give us two months, 60 days off. Total ceasefire, 60 days, and we will organize elections,” Zelensky said.
The rift between Trump and Zelensky became public amid Trump’s demands that Kyiv stop striking Russian oil refineries and a deal between Moscow and Washington to ease U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel exports.
On Sunday, Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an energy ceasefire, though what exactly this meant was unclear. Zelensky first said Trump’s statement came as news to him, but later said Ukraine’s Armed Forces “had received all the relevant orders,” without specifying what he meant.
This morning, Zelensky said that Russian drones struck a power plant in Kharkiv immediately after Trump’s statement. He said he was confident that “Putin does not read Truth Social, and his Shaheds drones follow a different set of instructions.” Zelensky warned that Ukraine would respond to Russian strikes.
“This winter, if Russia does not agree to an energy ceasefire, we will respond. That is why yesterday the American president’s post drew real interest and real hope that the energy ceasefire could actually work. We in Ukraine immediately supported this idea,” Zelensky added.
Moscow did not officially comment on Trump’s remarks about the ceasefire. Regarding Trump’s comments about replacing the Ukrainian president, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said:
Trump said he believes it’s time for a new president. Why? Because the president of Ukraine needs to make very responsible and very difficult decisions to stop this war. Either Zelensky takes on that responsibility, shows that political will, or he doesn’t. So far, he hasn’t.
Regarding the 60-day ceasefire to hold elections, Peskov said he believed Ukraine’s president needed that time not for elections, but “to regroup, heal wounds, and continue the war.” He did not rule out that Putin “would be prepared to order that no strikes be carried out against Ukraine on election day, specifically on election day.”
The war in photos. Kharkiv region
At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.
If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at reports@meduza.io.
To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.
Meduza