Trump urges Ukraine to replace Zelensky over stalled deal

President Trump urged Ukraine to replace Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of failing to reach an agreement to end the war with Russia.

Speaking Saturday to journalists gathered outside the White House, Trump made a change in Ukraine’s leadership his proposed answer to the absence of a settlement. His criticism placed responsibility on Zelensky, whom he accused of passing up opportunities for an agreement.

Trump targets Zelensky’s negotiating record

Trump said: "I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal, because he could have made many deals and for some reason he never does." The quoted remarks did not identify those proposed agreements or explain their terms.

The accusation concerns more than Zelensky’s handling of any particular negotiation: Trump explicitly questioned whether he should remain president. However, the remarks provided no procedure for replacing him and named no alternative leader.

Territorial claim lacks a defined benchmark

Trump also invoked Ukraine’s losses of territory and lives to support his demand. "You've lost yüzde otuz of your country," he said, without specifying a geographic benchmark or a period for that figure in the quoted remarks.

That percentage remains Trump’s assertion, rather than an independently established measure of territorial control. His reference to human losses likewise came without a casualty figure in the supplied account.

Trump concluded: "That's a war that should have never started. And I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president." His comments left unresolved what settlement he considered achievable and how replacing Zelensky would change the terms available to Ukraine.