Trump Demands Ukraine Replace Zelensky, Threatens Him Over Refinery Strikes

On Oct. 10, Trump said Ukraine should replace President Volodymyr Zelensky with a leader willing to make a deal with Russia, saying Zelensky "could have made a deal many times" but "chooses not to," and "I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president." Trump also demanded Zelensky stop Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, which he said were hurting American farmers, warning "he better damn well stop."

A sitting U.S. president publicly calling for the removal of an allied wartime head of state is without precedent in the Ukraine conflict, and it followed Trump's announcement a day earlier of a deal easing U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel exports -- made, Zelensky said, without Ukraine's knowledge. Zelensky called that sanctions deal "not fair and not honest" and accused Trump of showing "weakness."

Zelensky has not said whether he will curb refinery strikes or signaled any plan to leave office. The dispute is, per Axios, the most serious breach between the two leaders since their February 2025 Oval Office clash.