Kyiv hits back at Trump's call for new leader as Republicans move to block diesel deal

Ukraine on Sunday rejected President Donald Trump's call for a new leader in Kyiv. Volodymyr Zelenskyy leads the nation in a war "for independence, freedom, and dignity," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. "He has the support of the Ukrainian people, and they have the right to decide." Trump told reporters on Saturday: "I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal." He has demanded that Kyiv stop striking Russian refineries, while Zelenskyy said "gifts" to Vladimir Putin would not bring peace.

Opposition is also growing within Trump's own party. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican and co-chair of the House Ukraine Caucus, announced bipartisan legislation "to block any and all purchases of Russian oil." He plans to bypass leadership with a discharge petition, which needs 218 signatures, and said the bill "will pass overwhelmingly." Rep. Don Bacon said he has already agreed to back it. Rep. Michael McCaul warned that easing sanctions "will only fund the Kremlin's war machine."

Trump has cast the deal as a way to ease soaring fuel costs for truckers, farmers and consumers, and a White House official referred Newsweek to his public comments. The effort faces long odds: according to Axios, the House is not scheduled to vote again until after the Nov. 3 midterms, the current Congress ends in January, the Senate would also have to approve, and Trump could veto it.