On Saturday, Trump publicly called for Ukraine to install new leadership, a statement that came after Zelensky voiced objections to Washington's decision to ease sanctions on Russian diesel, with the U.S. president navigating domestic fuel price concerns ahead of midterm elections.
Trump put forward a deal to increase the flow of Russian diesel onto world markets, citing what he characterised as Vladimir Putin's stated willingness to reach a settlement in Ukraine, at a moment when his Republican Party was approaching next month's elections with elevated energy costs among the factors weighing on its prospects.
Trump contended that the Ukrainian president had obstructed a potential agreement with Moscow and had not followed directives to halt strikes on Russian oil facilities, a position contested by Kyiv and its European partners, who argued that reducing pressure on Moscow would bolster the Kremlin's capacity to sustain its military campaign.
Amid the unfolding dispute, strikes across Ukraine attributed to Russian forces left at least 21 people dead, among them children.
On Friday, a phone call between Trump and Putin yielded an arrangement under which Russia would channel substantial diesel supplies into global markets, according to Trump's account of the conversation.
Ukraine and its European partners voiced disappointment over the ceasefire decision, with Zelensky describing it to reporters on Friday as a measure lacking sufficient force. Trump, responding to the criticism, contended that Zelensky had defied his instructions against striking Russian refineries and that the operations posed a risk of deepening fuel supply problems tied to the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Israel against Iran. Trump added that Zelensky needed to halt the attacks and that, in Trump's view, Ukraine would be better positioned under a leader prepared to reach a negotiated agreement, given that multiple opportunities to do so had, by his account, gone unpursued.
Trump subsequently relayed that Putin had expressed a desire to bring the conflict to a close, while placing responsibility for the absence of any agreement on Zelensky, telling reporters that Russia was prepared to negotiate but that Zelensky had repeatedly declined to do so. The president also questioned why Zelensky had not held an election since the 2022 invasion, contending that an electoral process could have opened a path toward resolution on multiple occasions.
Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, argued in an online post that removing restrictions on Russian diesel imports would serve to prolong the conflict, and pledged that European pressure on Russia would remain in place. During a phone call, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham conveyed his support for Zelensky, describing their alignment as one of full solidarity.
Downing Street confirmed that Burnham had also committed to strengthening sanctions against Russia. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga expressed support for his president in a post on X, stating that the Ukrainian people stood behind him and held the right to determine their own course.
On Saturday, five glide bombs struck residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, killing 20 people — among them three children — according to Ukraine's state rescue service. Zelensky attributed the attack to what he described as a response to the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports. Rescue workers at the scene, including one named Daniil Pishkin, reported pulling both survivors and victims from the collapsed structures, with Pishkin telling a major news channel that those found beneath the rubble included a woman, her husband, and a child.
Two people were pulled out alive, an official noted, while a young girl did not survive. Separately, a 69-year-old local resident named Iryna described taking shelter in her bathroom after an air-raid alert reached her. Two of her neighbours lost their lives in the incident — both of them 75 years of age. Iryna reported that none of the individuals had made it to the hospital alive.
A boy of 11 was killed after a drone struck the Dnipropetrovsk region, with local authorities confirming the fatality. Power outages spread across Kyiv following a series of aerial attacks. The defence ministry in Moscow announced that its forces had struck a facility it described as a data centre serving Ukraine's armed forces.
Talks between U.S., Ukrainian, and European officials convened in Miami produced the diesel agreement alongside broader discussions on a path toward ending the conflict. An aide to Zelensky confirmed that members of the Ukrainian delegation were making their way back on Saturday.
Witkoff, serving as U.S. envoy, posted on X that the discussions had brought together the E3, the European Commission, Ukraine, and NATO, characterising the exchanges as productive and oriented toward reducing hostilities before winter while advancing the prospects for a durable peace settlement. Separately, the Kremlin stated that Trump had shared his proposals for winding down the conflict with Putin by telephone on Friday. The Kremlin indicated that Putin had taken the proposals on board, though no further detail was offered.
Russia has held ground covering around a fifth of Ukraine's total area since launching a full-scale military operation across the border in February 2022.
