President Donald Trump said Ukraine should consider replacing President Volodymyr Zelensky, arguing that the Ukrainian leader has stood in the way of a peace agreement with Russia. Trump delivered the blunt recommendation while speaking with reporters on the White House lawn Saturday.

“I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal,” Trump said of Ukraine, adding that “for some reason (Zelensky) never does.”

Trump also repeated his assertion that the war would not have begun if he had been president when Russia invaded Ukraine. He blamed the conflict on the leadership of former President Joe Biden.

“That war would have never started. There was no reason that that war with Ukraine and Russia started. It started due to incompetence,” Trump told reporters.

Trump's Sovereign Wealth Fund: What Could It Mean For Your Money?

Trump then hammered Zelensky over the war’s territorial and human costs, saying he had “lost 30% of your country and you’ve had over a million people go between the two of them, over 2 million people killed. That’s a war that should have never started. And I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.”

"I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president."

US President Donald Trump hits out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, criticising him for targeting Russian refineries and saying he should be replaced. Latest: https://t.co/LFWT0RHvhc Sky 501 and Virgin 602 https://t.co/A6nQgEe5A8 — Sky News (@SkyNews) October 10, 2026

Zelensky, an actor who played a president on Ukrainian television before winning election to the office in 2019, has faced criticism from Washington for failing to hold elections scheduled for 2024. Those elections were canceled under martial law.

Other nations have successfully conducted elections during war, but Zelensky claimed voting would be too expensive and difficult because ballots would need to be collected from Ukrainians living across Europe. Trump has suggested the canceled election makes Zelensky a dictator.

Trump’s remarks came hours after he secured an agreement with Vladimir Putin for Russia to supply diesel fuel to the “American and Global Marketplace.” Under the agreement, Russia would provide 300,000 tonnes “immediately,” followed by another 500,000 tonnes in November.

FREE Gun Law Map: Laws Don't Pause During Social Unrest

Another one million tonnes would arrive “immediately thereafter,” according to Trump. The ultimate goal is to add at least three million tonnes to global markets.

Zelensky sharply criticized the agreement, arguing that Russia would use money from oil exports to reinforce its military campaign in Ukraine. He laid out that criticism in a Saturday post on X.

“Every additional billion dollars they can earn from exports will be spent on nothing but sourcing and importing critical components and equipment to manufacture weapons, upgrading “shaheds,” producing missiles, and recruiting even more mercenaries to fight at the front. Russia’s choice is war. And they will be ready to end it only when they feel that their ability to drag the war out is diminishing,” Zelensky wrote.

“Unfortunately, the signals Russia received yesterday were entirely different – signals suggesting that it could simply keep attacking. And this needs to be corrected. Strong signals are needed from the United States, Europe, and other partners – signals in support of Ukraine and to RESTRICT Russia’s ability to wage war and terrorize people. Thank you to everyone who stands with Ukraine!” he added.

The public clash unfolded as peace talks in Miami ended earlier than expected. Ukrainian and European diplomats began meeting Friday with American negotiators, including U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, and talks had been expected to continue Saturday.

Kyiv instead announced that its team was “already on its way home.” The shortened meeting came as Russia and Ukraine remained unwilling to move on central disagreements between them.

The Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine surrender control of the entire Donbas region, although only part of that territory has fallen under Russian occupation since the invasion. Zelensky has refused to surrender the territory.

Zelensky has claimed that Russia would use the territory later to launch another attempt to conquer Ukraine fully. Trump, meanwhile, made clear that he believes Ukraine needs a different president capable of reaching an agreement and ending the war of more than four and a half years.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Objectivist. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.