Trump Says Ukraine Needs a New Leader to Make a Deal
Volodymyr Zelensky “wants to make problems for the world” by authorising strikes on Russian refineries, the president said outside the White House, adding: “He’d better damn well stop.” Ukraine should “get a new leader who can make a deal”. Andy Burnham telephoned Mr Zelensky to offer “complete solidarity”.
The full remark sets out the bargain he believes was broken: “We said, ‘you can do whatever you want to Russia, don’t hit the refineries’, because that’s a world problem that’s caused… He could have made many deals and for some reason, he never does.” Ukraine has been under martial law since 2022 and elections are suspended, so the call for a new leader has no constitutional route. Russian refinery output is down an estimated 30% after Ukrainian drone strikes, which is the context for Friday’s suspension of American sanctions on Russian diesel until 7 April. Putin’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the intervention “iconic and historic”. The European Union’s Kaja Kallas took the opposite view — suspending sanctions “provides Moscow with more revenues to wage war… This is not the time to ease pressure on Russia, and Europe won’t” — and European foreign ministers intend to approve their largest sanctions package since the invasion on Monday. Downing Street’s readout of the Burnham call records that the prime minister recognised the last twenty-four hours had been difficult, pointed to new British designations announced this week, and agreed with Mr Zelensky that Russia should accept an immediate energy ceasefire. The two will meet in person within days. On Saturday, Russian glide bombs killed at least twenty people in Zaporizhzhia, four of them children.