'Time for Ukraine to get new president,' says Trump after Zelensky condemns diesel deal

US President Donald Trump has remarked he thinks "it's time for Ukraine to get a new president" as he responded to Volodymyr Zelensky's criticism of the US diesel agreement with Russia.

Key points

• Trump confirmed on Friday that an agreement had been reached with Moscow to suspend sanctions on Russian diesel exports until 7 April.
• Zelensky cautioned a new agreement to release millions of tonnes of Russian diesel into the US would provide Moscow with funds to continue its war in Ukraine.
• She remarked European foreign ministers intended to approve the biggest set of sanctions on Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion on Monday.
• "He'd better damn well stop, " Trump remarked before suggesting Ukraine should "get a new leader who can make a deal".
• Zelensky reacted by saying the relaxation of the penalties will allow Moscow to raise new funds to source new military equipment to continue the war.

Speaking to the media as he left the White House on Saturday, Trump remarked the Ukrainian president "wants to make problems for the world" by continuing to authorise attacks on Russian refineries.

As well as major logistics hubs, russia and Ukraine have lately intensified their strikes, targeting energy-generating and transport facilities.

"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 remarked.

"He could have made many deals and for some reason, he never does."

He additionally accused Moscow of taking the agreement "to mean they can keep fighting, to mean they keep dropping bombs on cities" after deadly new strikes on Zaporizhzhia.

On Saturday the EU's foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas echoed Zelensky's criticism, saying suspending sanctions "provides Moscow with more revenues to wage war", adding: "This is not the time to ease pressure on Russia, and Europe won't."

After months spent grappling with the political consequences of the Iran war, the accord with Russia is the latest effort from Trump to lower fuel costs in the US ahead of the midterm elections.

That conflict, which began in February, has sent the cost of petrol and in particular diesel skyrocketing. It has soured his standing with the American public who have been stung by the higher pump rates and knock-on effects that led to across-the-board inflation.

Taken together, the developments around ' Time for Ukraine to get new president, ' says Trump after Zelensky condemns point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.