Relations between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump have fallen to their “lowest point” since the two clashed in the Oval Office in early 2025, The Wall Street Journal reports. The newspaper based its assessment on remarks Trump made to reporters October 10, when he said Ukraine might need a new president:
You know what I suggest? I suggest [Ukrainians] get a new leader who could make a deal because he could’ve made many deals and for some reason he never does […] I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new President.
Axios also calls the situation a “serious crisis.” The outburst, according to the WSJ, could undermine arrangements Europe has spent the past year and a half building, as it has tried to persuade Trump to maintain U.S. support for Ukraine and keep pressure on Russia.
Trump made the statement a day after reaching an agreement with Vladimir Putin to allow Russian diesel fuel to reach the U.S. and world markets. In the same conversation with reporters, Trump said that the U.S. had warned Zelensky that he “could do whatever [he] want[s] to Russia” but should not strike oil refineries, calling that a “world problem.” “And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel. He better damn well stop,” Trump said. Trump had previously insisted that Ukraine halt its strikes on Russian oil refineries, which he claims are driving up fuel prices in the U.S., according to Axios.
The U.S. Treasury Department has already granted Russia a license allowing it to supply diesel fuel to the global market despite U.S. sanctions. The license is valid until April 7, 2027. Zelensky called the decision “an obvious weakness”:
Gifts to Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilized world. Russia will “repay” the diesel with further terror and perfidy. Allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged. What is needed is real de-escalation with Russia on a reciprocal basis.
Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine needs a different leader “shocked and stunned” Kyiv, Bild, Welt, and Politico journalist Paul Ronzheimer wrote on X. A close adviser to Zelensky told him: “We understood that during the [U.S.] midterm election campaign we would once again find ourselves in the spotlight. But we never expected THIS.”
According to Ronzheimer, Kyiv’s biggest fear is a halt to intelligence sharing, which could affect the Ukrainian military’s combat capability. That already happened once, after Trump and Zelensky’s Oval Office clash in February 2025.
Zelensky said October 11 that strikes on Russian oil refineries would stop if “Russia stops striking our energy infrastructure”: “Any de-escalation steps must be mutual and come with real guarantees.” Putin does not want to stop Russian strikes, Zelensky believes.
After Trump suggested Ukraine change leaders, people in Zelensky’s own circle rallied behind him. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote: “President [Volodymyr Zelensky] leads our nation in a time of war — a war for independence, freedom, and dignity. He has the support of the Ukrainian people, and they have the right to decide. Statements from abroad only confirm that he is doing his job well. He deserves support.”
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, who criticized the deal between Putin and Trump, pledged Kyiv support for strikes on Russian oil refineries.
This is a big mistake, because deals with dictators lead to hell. Innocent people are being killed for gas and fuel money. And in all likelihood, the expected fuel will not materialize.
This kind of agreement contradicts the West’s long-term strategy of limiting the flow of money to Putin. The U.S. has been urging its allies to give up Russian fuel, and so have we. The long-term tactic of depriving Russia of money is correct, and it needs to continue.
Next week, Estonia and the European Council should discuss whether we can quickly invest more in Ukraine so that it can blow Russian oil refineries to pieces.
Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX, which provides the Ukrainian military with Starlink satellite internet, voiced support for Trump. Commenting on Trump’s remarks about Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries, he wrote: “Zelensky has gone too far.” In another post, Musk added that it’s ”time for Ukraine to get a new leader.”
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