Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia kills at least 20, including children
Russian aerial bombs hit residential buildings in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday, killing at least 20 people including three children, according to emergency services.
Also on Saturday, President Trump told reporters that Ukraine should replace Volodymyr Zelensky, blaming the Ukrainian president for Russia’s continuing war and Kyiv’s airstrikes for high diesel prices in the U.S. and worldwide. “I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump said. “He better damn well stop,” he said.
Trump suggested Ukraine get “a new leader who can make a deal,” adding, “Zelensky could have settled this war many times. He chooses not to.”
The broadside marks the lowest point in the two leaders’ relationship since their shouting match in the Oval Office early after Trump’s return to the White House in 2025, and risks undermining 18 months of European efforts to persuade Trump to maintain U.S. support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia. Zelensky didn’t immediately respond to Trump’s comments.
The clash came a day after Trump announced an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to supply Russian diesel to the U.S. and world markets, which Trump said would help reduce fuel prices. Energy analysts say the announced quantities of Russian diesel are limited and that the U.S.-Iran conflict is the main reason for the increase in fuel prices this year.
“What allowing Russia to sell oil products means was heard most clearly in Kyiv just now,” Zelensky said earlier on Saturday after a Russian barrage of drones and ballistic missiles.
At a meeting in Miami on Friday with Ukrainian officials, White House negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff repeatedly mentioned the assistance the U.S. has provided Ukraine, including the sharing of U.S. intelligence, and said Kyiv should comply with Trump’s requests to stop the refinery strikes, according to four people familiar with the conversation. No explicit threat was made to cut off intelligence, according to two people present at the meeting, but it was easy to see an implied threat, according to one of these people and other officials briefed on the conversation. A U.S. official denied that any threat, implicit or explicit, was made at the meeting.
Ukrainian officials say they will continue to hit Russian refineries, which generate money and fuel for Moscow’s war effort, unless Russia also agrees to stop bombing Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Putin has rejected a mutual pause. For Ukraine, halting the strikes would mean giving up its main leverage to force Russia to stop the war. Russia’s escalating campaign of airstrikes against Ukraine’s cities, energy infrastructure and economy is inflicting a growing toll and has killed or wounded thousands of Ukrainian civilians this year.
Trump has limited leverage over Kyiv, having already ended the bulk of American aid for Ukraine’s defense against the nearly five-year-old Russian invasion. Intelligence sharing remains valuable for Ukraine’s military, as are weapons the U.S. sells to European allies for Ukraine to use. For the past month, Trump has repeatedly asked Ukraine behind the scenes to halt the refinery strikes and has grown frustrated with Zelensky over his refusal to heed his demands, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The diesel deal drew condemnation from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers and prompted some to reassert their support for Zelensky. “Propping up Putin’s war economy is morally wrong as he uses that money to bomb cities,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R., Neb.), who is retiring after this term. He said Trump’s policies toward Russia and Ukraine “are failures.” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D., N.H.) said the deal violates a 2022 law that mandates congressional consultation before the U.S. can import Russian energy. Shortly after Trump rebuked Zelensky, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.) said in a social-media post to Zelensky that Congress and the American people “stand 100% behind you.” Fitzpatrick made no mention of Trump’s remarks.
The Miami meeting was part of a U.S. effort to revive peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, which have stalled after hitting an impasse over Putin’s demand that Kyiv unilaterally give up the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, even though the Russian army has been unable to fully conquer it. During Friday’s meeting, the American negotiators pushed Ukraine and Europe to help craft a new proposal for Russia to end the war. The proposal will cover territorial disputes, postconflict economic prosperity, and a new security architecture for Russia and Europe, according to a person familiar with the matter. Putin has continued to insist on fulfilling his war aims in full, which amount to dismantling Ukraine’s territory and reimposing Russian political sway over what’s left. European diplomats say Putin has shown no readiness to end the war, while Ukrainians, exhausted by the grueling war, support a ceasefire that freezes the front line but reject the Kremlin’s demands, surveys show.