WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump called Saturday for Ukraine to replace President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, escalating a dispute over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure and a new U.S.–Russia diesel arrangement.

Speaking to reporters at the White House before leaving for a political rally, Trump said Ukraine should get a leader who could make a peace deal. He also warned Kyiv to stop hitting Russian refineries and blamed those attacks for pressure on diesel prices.

The remarks were reported independently by The Associated Press, Reuters and The Washington Post. They represent a sharp public intervention by the U.S. president in the leadership of a country defending itself against Russia's full-scale invasion.

Dispute follows U.S.–Russia diesel deal

Trump's comments came one day after he announced an agreement under which Russia would supply diesel to world markets. The Associated Press reported that the plan begins with more than 300,000 tons, followed by larger deliveries.

The move reverses U.S. restrictions intended to reduce Russian energy revenue. Trump has linked the change to high fuel prices and has argued that Ukrainian attacks on refineries are worsening shortages.

Zelenskyy criticized the diesel deal after Russian aerial bombs struck residential buildings in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region on Saturday. Ukrainian authorities said at least 20 people were killed, including three children. Zelenskyy argued that new export revenue would help Russia finance weapons and continue the war.

Russia's government said Saturday that it had partially lifted a ban on diesel exports. Russian President Vladimir Putin said after a Friday call with Trump that an immediate return to peace talks was unlikely, Reuters reported.

Ukraine says its voters choose the president

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded that Zelenskyy leads the country during a war for independence and that Ukrainians have the right to decide who represents them, according to The Washington Post.

Trump said Zelenskyy had passed up opportunities to end the war. That is Trump's political assessment. Russia launched the full-scale invasion in February 2022, and Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on territorial control, security guarantees and the terms of any settlement.

Trump also repeated casualty and territorial claims that do not match independent estimates. The Associated Press noted that independent assessments put roughly 20 per cent of Ukraine under Russian control, not the 30 per cent Trump cited, and that there is no reliable recent combined death toll for both countries.

Pressure lands during active diplomacy

The confrontation unfolded as Ukrainian and European officials met U.S. negotiators in Miami to work on a possible peace proposal. AP reported that a senior Ukrainian official said Kyiv had not been told about the diesel announcement in advance and that it was not part of the Florida discussions.

Reuters reported that U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could visit Moscow within two weeks. Neither a renewed negotiation nor a leadership change in Ukraine had been agreed when the reports were published.

Why it matters to Canada

Canada is a NATO and G7 ally of the United States and has committed more than $8.5 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since 2022, according to the Department of National Defence. Ottawa has also supported sanctions intended to constrain Russia's ability to finance the war.

A widening break between Washington and Kyiv could affect allied coordination on sanctions, military support and diplomacy. Trump's remarks do not themselves change Canada's policy, and the Canadian government had not announced a response by publication time.

Sources: The Associated Press, updated October 10; Reuters, updated October 10; The Washington Post, published October 10 at 4:22 p.m. Eastern; Government of Canada statement on support for Ukraine, February 24.

Lead image: official presidential portrait of Donald Trump by Daniel Torok/The White House, June 2, 2025, public domain. File photo; not an image of Saturday's remarks.