Only Ukrainians Decide Leadership, Sybiha Says

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded on Sunday, Oct. 11, to statements by US President Donald Trump suggesting that Ukraine should elect a new president, affirming that only the Ukrainian people hold the authority to determine their national leadership. Writing on X, Sybiha emphasized that President Volodymyr Zelensky maintains the confidence of the Ukrainian public as he leads the country during wartime.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “President Volodymyr Zelensky leads our nation in a time of war – a war for independence, freedom, and dignity,” Sybiha stated. “He has the support of the Ukrainian people, and they have the right to decide. Statements from abroad only confirm that he is doing his job well. He deserves support.” Sybiha’s remarks followed comments made by Trump to reporters on Saturday, in which the US president argued that Zelensky had passed up opportunities to negotiate an end to the armed conflict with Russia and suggested that Ukraine should replace its leadership. President @ZelenskyyUa leads our nation in a time of war — a war for independence, freedom, and dignity. He has the support of the Ukrainian people, and they have the right to decide. Statements from abroad only confirm that he is doing his job well. He deserves support.— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) October 10, 2026 Trump’s remarks and calls for political change Speaking to journalists roughly a month ahead of the US midterm elections, Trump criticized the Ukrainian head of state for not finalizing a negotiated settlement with Moscow. “Zelensky could have settled this war many, many times, but he chooses not to,” Trump told reporters. “I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.” Trump additionally faulted Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes against Russian oil refineries, claiming the operations have contributed to elevated retail fuel prices internationally. The comments came as domestic diesel prices in the United States approached $6 per gallon. Other Topics of Interest There Will be no Breakthrough in Peace Talks, - Stefan Korshak Kyiv Post’s Stefan Korshak discusses how bilateral talks with Washington proceed under low expectations for peace negotiations, while Russian strikes on Ukraine’s caused severe emergency blackouts. “He wants to make problems for the world, for our farmers with diesel,” Trump added. The public criticism echoed prior statements made by Trump throughout 2025 calling for national elections in Ukraine. American billionaire Elon Musk subsequently backed Trump’s statements on Saturday, writing on X that Zelensky had “gone too far.” The diplomatic friction between Washington and Kyiv follows Trump’s announcement on Friday, Oct. 9, of a commercial diesel agreement reached with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Under the framework announced by the White House, Moscow agreed to deliver 300,000 metric tons of diesel fuel immediately, with scheduled deliveries scaling up to 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons in subsequent phases through 2027. To facilitate the shipments, the US Treasury Department issued a temporary general license authorizing transactions involving Russian diesel through April 7, 2027. The waiver was granted three weeks after Trump signed into law the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which aimed to establish statutory penalties across Russia’s energy, banking, and defense sectors. The announcement occurred while a Ukrainian delegation was participating in multilateral security consultations with US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Miami. Zelensky described the Miami session as a “smokescreen” for bilateral economic concessions to the Kremlin. 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.