Trump urges Ukraine to elect a new leader; Zelensky proposes a 60-day ceasefire
Donald Trump criticised Zelensky over strikes on Russian refineries and said Ukraine needs a new president; Zelensky said choosing a leader is up to the Ukrainian people.
On 10 October 2026, at the White House, US President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to elect a new leader who would agree to end the war, saying it was time for Ukraine to get a new president.
Trump criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over strikes on Russian oil refineries, saying they were driving up global and US diesel prices and hurting farmers ahead of November's midterm elections. 'Don't hit refineries. There's plenty of targets,' Trump said.
The diesel deal
A day earlier, on 9 October, the US temporarily eased sanctions on Russian diesel: the Treasury issued a licence valid until 7 April 2027, with an initial 300,000 tonnes and 500,000 tonnes in November.
Zelensky's response
Zelensky respectfully disagreed with Trump: 'It's up to our society, up to our people to choose one or another leader,' he said, proposing a 60-day full ceasefire followed by elections.
He said Ukraine was ready to halt refinery strikes as part of a mutual de-escalation if Russia stopped attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure: 'It's possible to stop strikes on energy infrastructure as early as today, but Putin does not want to do so.'
The war continued behind the dispute: on 10 October, a Russian strike on a residential building in Zaporizhzhia killed at least 20 people, including 3 children.
