Trump urges Ukraine to elect new president amid diesel crisis

On October 8, 2026, US President Donald Trump stated that Ukraine should elect a new president, accusing Volodymyr Zelenskyy of failing to negotiate an end to the war with Russia and worsening diesel prices in the United States. Trump claimed that Zelenskyy's actions, including Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, were negatively impacting American farmers and ranchers.

He asserted that the war, which began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, would not have occurred if he had been president at that time. Trump also claimed that Ukraine had lost 30 percent of its territory and that over two million people had died in the conflict, although independent estimates suggest that about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory is under Russian control.

The remarks followed Russian strikes in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region that killed at least 20 people. Trump announced a deal with Putin for the supply of diesel to the US and global markets, with immediate deliveries of over 300,000 tonnes and additional supplies planned.