Trump Has Stark Message on Zelensky

President Trump's relationship with Volodymyr Zelensky may have just hit rock bottom. "I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president," Trump told reporters on Saturday, reports the New York Times. His remark came after Zelensky criticized the new US diesel deal with Russia, calling it a "sign of weakness" by Trump, per Axios. On Saturday, Trump shot back that Zelensky "wants to make problems for the world" because of his attacks on Russian refineries, and he blamed those attacks for high diesel prices in the US.

Trump said his administration had told Ukraine: "You can do whatever you want to Russia. Don't hit the refineries because that's a world problem that's caused." Amplifying that point, a US official tells Axios that Ukraine ignored multiple US requests to stop striking the facilities. The remarks landed a day after Trump moved to open US markets to Russian diesel and eased sanctions on those exports through April. Ukraine's foreign minister, meanwhile, said Zelensky "has the support of the Ukrainian people, and they have the right to decide."