Trump Demands Zelenskyy's Removal After Russia Diesel Deal — SkimNews
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- Trump called for Zelenskyy's removal at the White House on Saturday, blaming him for pressuring global diesel supplies by striking Russian refineries and saying, "I think it is time for Ukraine to get a new president."
- Trump struck a diesel supply deal with Putin on Friday to ease high US fuel prices ahead of November midterm elections, marking a reversal of years of Washington-led sanctions pressure on Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
- Zelenskyy vowed on Sunday to keep striking Russian oil refineries but offered a conditional halt: "Ukraine will be ready to stop striking Russian oil refineries if Russia stops striking our energy infrastructure."
- Trump and Vice President JD Vance clashed with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on February 28, 2025, over rare earth mineral agreements, security assurances, and peace talks, with Trump warning, "You are either going to make a deal [on ending the war with Russia] or we are out."
- Trump called Zelenskyy "a dictator without elections" on February 19, 2025 and accused him of wanting to keep the "gravy train" of US military support going, adding at a Miami summit that Zelenskyy had "done a terrible job, his country is shattered."
- In July 2019 during his first term, Trump pressured Zelenskyy to work with Rudy Giuliani and the US attorney general to investigate Joe Biden and Hunter Biden while withholding nearly $400m in congressionally approved security assistance.
Why it matters: The Friday diesel deal with Putin reverses Washington's long-standing sanctions posture on Russia just weeks before midterms, with Trump tying Zelenskyy's ouster directly to US fuel prices — a domestic political calculus that now overrides Ukraine policy. Zelenskyy, facing explicit calls for his removal, retains leverage over Russian energy strikes but must weigh continued refinery attacks against Trump's explicit threats.
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