Trump Says Zelenskyy ‘better Damn Well Stop' Attacks On Russian Oil Refineries, Calls For New Ukrainian Leader

President Donald Trump on Saturday pushed back at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over attacks on Russian oil refineries, warning that he “better damn well stop” and calling for Ukraine to install a new leader.

The remarks marked a sharp escalation in Trump’s criticism of his Ukrainian counterpart and came just one day after Zelenskyy accused Trump of using peace negotiations as a “smokescreen” while striking a deal with Russia to temporarily lift sanctions on its diesel exports.

“Zelenskyy could have settled this war many times. Many, many times. And he chooses not to,” Trump said Saturday. “Very difficult. It's a war that should've never been started.”

Zelenskyy’s office declined to comment.

Trump said his administration had warned Ukraine against striking Russian refineries because of the potential consequences for global diesel supplies, which have already been strained by the ongoing war with Iran.

“We said, ‘You can do whatever you want to Russia. Don't hit the refineries because that's a world problem,’” Trump said. “He wants to make problems for the world. He wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers with diesel fuel, because Russia supplies a large portion of the diesel fuel around the world.”

“And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel,” Trump continued. “He better damn well stop.”

Trump also suggested Ukraine needed a “new leader who can make a deal” with Moscow, renewing his criticism of Zelenskyy’s handling of the war. Trump has previously questioned Zelenskyy’s legitimacy and pushed for Ukrainian elections, but his latest remarks amounted to a more explicit call for a change in leadership.

The comments came amid growing tensions between Washington and Kyiv over Trump's surprise agreement Friday, a move the White House hopes will bring down record diesel prices ahead of the midterm elections.

Zelenskyy sharply criticized the announcement Friday. “That means more money for this war, more money to inflict suffering on us, without a doubt,” he said.

The Ukrainian leader warned that the agreement “only feeds Putin” and would allow Russia to prolong its war against Ukraine, which has resulted in an estimated 2 million battlefield casualties.

Veronika Melkozerova contributed to this report.