President Trump says Ukraine needs a new leader — The Guardian

In Washington, US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine needs a “new leader.” In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stressed that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has the support of the Ukrainian people and that the right to determine the country’s leadership belongs to Ukrainians themselves, The Guardian reports.

Trump’s statements and Kyiv’s response

Trump also called on Zelenskyy to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries. The US president said that Vladimir Putin allegedly seeks an agreement on the war, while accusing Zelenskyy, without evidence, of being unwilling to compromise.

These statements came after Washington reached an agreement with Russia, the aggressor state, allowing it to supply diesel fuel to global markets. Zelenskyy previously called this agreement terrible, unjust and dishonest.

Partners’ reaction and negotiations

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham expressed full solidarity with Ukraine in a conversation with Zelenskyy. According to the British prime minister’s office, the sides discussed the need to maintain pressure on Russia, and Burnham assured that London would continue strengthening sanctions and limiting the capabilities of Russia’s war machine. The leaders also agreed to meet in person in the coming days.

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Germany said it would continue working on new EU sanctions against Russia despite Moscow and Washington’s agreement on diesel. German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said support for Ukraine in its defense remains unchanged.

Russian state media, citing an unnamed source, reported that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner may visit Moscow within the next two weeks. Zelenskyy adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said that the Ukrainian delegation, which had visited Miami for talks on ending the war, was heading home.

Russia’s Defense Ministry, representing the aggressor state, also claimed strikes on a data processing center in Kyiv and a cargo vessel carrying military cargoes for the Ukrainian port of Odesa, as well as the capture of two settlements in Kharkiv Oblast. Reuters could not independently verify these reports.