11.10.2026
President Donald Trump’s suggestions to Ukraine to elect a new leader has been dismissed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government.
The US President had made the comment after striking a deal with Russia’s Vladimir Putin to lift sanctions on Russian oil, saying Zelenskyy was difficult to make a deal with and also blaming him for causing the war started by Russia.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha writing on X said that Zelenskyy was leading the country through a war for its independence. “He has the support of the Ukrainian people, and they have the right to decide. Statements from abroad only confirm that he is doing his job well,” Sybiha wrote.
Meanwhile President Zelenskyy said Sunday that only Russia was responsible for the war in his country. He said Ukraine would halt strikes on Russian oil refineries if Moscow stopped hitting Ukraine’s energy grid.
“Ukraine will be ready to stop striking Russian oil refineries if Russia stops striking our energy infrastructure,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
“It is possible to stop strikes on energy infrastructure as early as today, but Putin does not want to do so,” he said, adding that any de-escalation must be reciprocal and backed by real guarantees.
Russia and Ukraine are locked in a long-range aerial war while their armies remain largely deadlocked on the front line, more than 4 1/2 years since Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Ukraine’s strikes on data centers follow Russian attacks on data hubs in Ukraine. With AP reports
Zelenskyy...leading Ukraine.