Zelensky Ties Elections to 60-Day Russia Ceasefire — SkimNews
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- Zelensky told ABC Ukraine will organize elections if Putin accepts a 60-day total ceasefire, responding to Trump's Saturday statement that 'it's time for Ukraine to get a new president.'
- Trump criticized Zelensky on Saturday for attacking Russian oil refineries a day after the U.S. temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian fuel designed to deprive Moscow of war revenues.
- Zelensky said choosing Ukraine's leader is 'up to Ukrainians' and noted that Putin also wants a change in Ukraine's leadership, while blaming rising fuel prices on the Middle East war rather than Ukraine.
- Zelensky proposed halting strikes on Russian oil refineries if Moscow stops its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, framing it as a mutual 'energy ceasefire.'
- Under the deal Trump described Friday, Russia will supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel (about 2.25 million barrels) to U.S. and global markets, against a U.S. export baseline of roughly 1.5 million barrels per day.
- Trump is under pressure to lower fuel prices before November midtests that will determine GOP control of Congress for his final two years, with many Republican lawmakers joining Democrats in criticizing the diesel deal as rewarding Putin.
Why it matters: Zelensky turned Trump's personal attack into a concrete, conditional concession, putting the diplomatic onus on Putin while buying time before midterms where Trump needs lower diesel prices. The move exposes a growing GOP fracture — Republican lawmakers publicly calling a Russia-friendly energy deal 'rewarding Putin' ahead of a critical election.
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