U.S. President Trump renews pressure to replace Ukraine’s Zelenskyy: “Russia is fine”

[Financial News] U.S. President Donald Trump, who called for a change of government in Ukraine earlier this month, again pressured current President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to step down. He stressed that there was no problem with Russia.
According to the Ukrainian outlet Kyiv Independent, Trump told reporters at the White House on the 19th (local time), “It seems like it’s time for Zelenskyy to let someone else handle the negotiations.” He stressed, “We’ve given Ukraine a lot, but they’ve given us nothing.”
Trump also said on the 10th that Ukraine needed a “new leader.” He claimed that during the war Zelenskyy had lost 30% of Ukrainian territory and that more than 1 million people had died, saying, “This is a war that should never have been started in the first place. I think it’s time for Ukraine to have a new president.”
By contrast, Trump said on the 19th of Russia, which has been invading Ukraine for more than four years, “They’re doing fine as far as Ukraine is concerned,” adding, “They aren’t doing much.” Trump had earlier claimed on social media on the 11th that the two sides had agreed not to attack each other’s energy facilities, but long-range strikes by both sides continued as late as the 18th.
With rising diesel prices weighing on him ahead of the midterm elections in November, Trump announced this month that he would temporarily lift sanctions on Russian oil exports. He again emphasized that diesel prices were rising because Ukraine had attacked Russian refineries, not because of the Iran war he started. In an interview on the 19th, Trump claimed, in reference to the lifting of sanctions on Russia, “Russia is handling the Iran situation very well.” He stressed, “We’re hitting Iran very hard, economically and militarily. And Russia, as we can see, has done nothing. I think that’s very positive.” He added, “Russia could have done a lot to help Iran. Russia has done almost nothing.”
 

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