‘Better Damn Well Stop’ – Trump Lambasts Kyiv’s Refinery Attacks, Calls for New President in Ukraine

US President Donald Trump defended his diesel deal with Russia, criticized Kyiv’s strikes on Russian refineries, and called for a new president in Ukraine on Saturday, a day after he announced the diesel deal. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Trump defended the deal, saying President Volodymyr Zelensky “wants to make problems for the world.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “He wants to make problems for the world, for our farmers with diesel,” Trump said, about a month before the US midterm elections, as diesel soars above $6 a gallon. On Friday, as the Ukrainian delegation met with Trump’s envoys in Miami, Trump announced the deal in Washington after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which Moscow will “immediately supply” over a million tons of diesel to the world market through 2027. Zelensky described the delegation’s visit to Miami as a “smokescreen.” Trump then criticized Zelensky on Saturday, claiming he had chances to “settle this war” but “chooses not to,” before reiterating his 2025 calls for Zelensky’s removal. “Zelensky could have settled this war many, many times, but he chooses not to,” he told reporters. “I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.” The US has sought to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine since Trump’s return to office in 2025. Other Topics of Interest Putin’s Vile Chess Putin’s war has become a deadly chess trap as Ukraine’s resilience, deep strikes and growing Western support leave every Kremlin move worsening Russia’s position further. While Kyiv has proposed freezing the frontline, Moscow has maintained maximalist demands that amount to Kyiv’s capitulation, including ceding Ukraine’s Donetsk region that Russian forces have failed to capture. Recent Ukrainian advances have also reversed much of Moscow’s 2026 gains. The diesel deal also came a week before Trump is supposed to enact the recently passed Russian oil sanctions, which would impose 100% tariffs on countries buying Russian oil. Trump has previously pinned the blame for rising diesel prices on Ukrainian strikes instead of the war in Iran and prematurely announced a bilateral energy truce between Kyiv and Moscow, where Kyiv said it agrees if Russia stops striking Ukraine’s energy grid, whereas Moscow called Trump’s statement a “good idea” without elaboration. Energy remains paramount for both sides in the ongoing war. Ukraine’s refinery strikes have forced Russia to ration fuel and cut into its oil revenue, targeting a key source of Moscow’s war chest, while the Kremlin is betting that multiple winters of extensive blackouts will soon break Ukraine. Under the latest deal, Kyiv is being asked to stop striking Russian refineries, while Washington makes no reciprocal demand that Moscow stop targeting Ukraine’s energy grid. Kyiv has reportedly vowed not to relent and would keep striking Russian refineries, according to unnamed officials cited by the Financial Times. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.