United States President Donald Trump has called on Ukraine to replace Volodymyr Zelenskyy, lashing out at the Ukrainian leader for strikes on Russian oil refineries that have contributed to high global diesel prices.

The criticism on Saturday came as tensions between the US and Ukraine have risen after Trump announced a diesel supply deal with Russia.

The steep rise in global fuel prices, which followed the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran, has become a political liability for Trump’s Republican Party as it heads into next month’s midterm elections, in which opposition Democrats could gain control of one or both houses of Congress.

“I think it’s ⁠time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump told reporters at the White House, saying Zelenskyy had hurt global diesel supplies with strikes on Russian refineries.

“He wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers with diesel fuel because Russia supplies a large portion of the diesel fuel throughout the world,” Trump said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, however, defended Zelenskyy in a post on X.

“He has the support of the Ukrainian people, and they have the right to decide,” Sybiha wrote. “Statements from abroad only confirm that he is doing his job well. He deserves support.”

Trump, who has been urging Zelenskyy to stop attacking Russian energy infrastructure for weeks, struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday to buy diesel from Russia in an attempt to reduce high fuel prices.

The deal marked a stunning reversal of years of Washington’s pressure on Russia over its full scale invasion of Ukraine.

Mass casualty attacks

The US-Russia deal drew a furious reaction from Zelenskyy, who said it had emboldened Moscow. He linked the agreement with ⁠a Russian attack on Saturday that killed 20 people, including three children, in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.

“Today, Russia said thank you for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia,” Zelenskyy said.

“Last night provided yet more confirmation that Russia perceives any easing of pressure as a signal that it can supposedly keep fighting, that it can supposedly keep dropping bombs on cities,” he said. “Different signals are needed.”

The Zaporizhzhia assault was the third mass-casualty attack on Ukraine in four days.

Nearly 80 ⁠civilians were killed in Russian strikes on Wednesday and Thursday, including at least 30 killed by a bomb in the eastern garrison city of ⁠Kramatorsk and 22 others by a missile in the town of Pryluky, about 130km (80 miles) east of Kyiv.

Trump’s announcement about the diesel deal was in stark contrast to a sweeping Russia sanctions law he signed last month aimed at clamping down on Moscow’s oil and gas revenues that fuel the war against Ukraine.

He announced the deal amid talks between Ukrainian and European officials with US negotiators in Miami, Florida, on Friday, which were aimed at developing ⁠a common proposal for ending the war, according to the Reuters news agency.

In his remarks at the White House, Trump criticised Zelenskyy over the lack of a peace deal while demanding an end to Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy facilities.

“I said to him, ‘Do what you want. Don’t hit refineries. There’s plenty of targets. Don’t ‌hit ‌refineries.’ And he went out and he hit,” Trump said. “He better damn well stop.”

“I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal because he could have made many deals, but for some reason, he never does,” Trump added.

The diesel deal was criticised by US lawmakers, including one of Trump’s fellow Republicans, Representative Don Bacon, who said it was time to apply more sanctions that Congress had recently passed, not roll them back.

Ukraine’s European allies have also expressed dismay at the Russian deal and said they stood by their commitment to sanctions.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke with Zelenskyy on Saturday and said London would strengthen its sanctions on Russia, according to a Downing Street spokesperson.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said every additional $1bn Russia earns from exports would help pay for weapons components, drone upgrades, missile production and the recruitment of mercenaries and Moscow would only be ready to stop when its ability to fight diminished.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine was coordinating steps to counter the extra revenue Russia will receive and he had spoken to French President Emmanuel Macron about shoring up Ukraine’s air defences.

He went on to warn of an increased risk of further missile strikes in the coming days.

Zelenskyy also said he had discussed the developments with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Ukraine would receive ammunition in the coming days for the F-16 fighter jets used to intercept Russia’s Shahed drones.