Britain backs Zelenskyy after Trump urges Ukraine to replace him

Barrons warns Russian diesel deal will cost more Ukrainian lives

Britain’s defence secretary said the UK stands behind Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Donald Trump called for Ukraine to replace its president and the US announced an agreement to buy Russian diesel. Wes Streeting told broadcasters on Sunday that Ukrainians alone should be able to decide who leads their country, indicating that Trump was under domestic political pressure over fuel prices before next month’s midterm elections.

Asked on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme whether Britain supported Zelenskyy staying in office, Streeting said: “We are in no doubt that the aggressor here was Vladimir Putin. He is the person who chose to start this war. He is the person who could end this war tomorrow, and he chooses not to. So, we stand with Ukraine. We stand with President Zelenskyy.”

Trump said on Saturday that Ukraine should get a new leader capable of reaching a peace agreement, accusing Zelenskyy of failing to end the war and blaming Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries for increasing American diesel prices. Zelenskyy condemned the diesel agreement as a gift to Putin, warning that increased Russian energy revenues would help finance the war against Ukraine.

Trump has been facing rising political pressure over the economic fallout from the war with Iran, which has driven up global energy prices weeks before Americans vote in the midterm elections. Soaring fuel costs have hit Americans and added to wider inflation, damaging Trump’s standing with voters. The squeeze is felt particularly in agricultural states such as Iowa, Kansas, Texas and Ohio, where farmers depend on diesel to operate machinery and transport their produce. These traditionally Republican-leaning states are battling rising cost-of-living pressures as Trump’s party tries to hold on to its majorities.

Streeting told Sky News on Sunday: “Let’s be candid about this: midterms are coming up, cost of living is an issue. No doubt President Trump is feeling the same pressure that lots of leaders are facing in terms of wanting to ease cost of living pressures, energy prices. I think it’s just a political reality, isn’t it? We would obviously prefer a stronger approach on sanctions.”

Streeting said Britain’s priority was to maintain western unity, adding: “Let’s not overstate the impact of President Trump’s decision on purchasing oil from Russia and let’s not also understate US support for Ukraine.”

In a phone call with Zelenskyy on Saturday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham restated his “complete solidarity” with Ukraine. Downing Street said the leaders had agreed to meet in person in the coming days. Burnham has pledged to strengthen sanctions against Russia, and both leaders called for an immediate energy ceasefire.

Gen Sir Richard Barrons, one of the authors of Britain’s strategic defence review, warned that the Russian diesel deal would lead to more Ukrainian deaths by helping Moscow fund its war. He told Sky News that money from Russian oil and gas was used to pay for the “missiles and drones that it fires at Ukraine.” Asked whether the deal would mean more Ukrainians being killed, he said “for sure,” adding that security interests were being “sacrificed on the altar of an election.”

Streeting also said Britain was not currently considering offensive military operations against the Houthis, after an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, killed 12 people and injured more than 300 others. He described the overnight attack as a “shocking escalation” and said the UK was already providing air-to-air refuelling and ground-based air defence support.

Asked on the BBC whether Britain could join US offensive operations, Streeting said: “That’s not what we’re looking at, at this stage,” insisting there was no military solution to the conflict. He said he had been discussing further military assistance with Saudi Arabia and declined to categorically rule out future involvement. Streeting said he had spoken to his Saudi counterpart on several occasions in recent weeks about what further support Britain could provide. “I think there is clearly more to do, as evidenced by what we saw last night,” he said.