Russian strikes hit Ukrainian power plants after Trump’s energy ceasefire claim

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 ‘Up to our people’

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Trump’s announcement on Sunday came amid mounting tensions between Trump and Zelensky over the U.S.-Russia diesel deal.

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Zelensky said the deal was a “weak decision,” while several of Ukraine’s European allies expressed outrage and pledged to increase pressure on Moscow.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney added to the chorus on Sunday after a call with Zelensky, saying the diesel deal “is in direct opposition to the efforts of Ukraine, Canada and our allies to create peace and stability in Europe.”

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Asked about the criticism on Saturday, Trump lashed out at Zelensky, saying it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president” who would finally settle the war.

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Zelensky pushed back on the suggestion in an interview on Sunday.

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“First of all, with all respect to President Trump, it’s up to our society, up to our people to choose one or another leader,” Zelensky told ABC News.

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He said that fuel prices were rising because of the war in the Middle East and the blocking of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

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“Everybody understands it,” he said.

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Support for Zelensky

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Germany’s foreign minister said Sunday that Berlin continued to “fully support” Zelensky.

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“Europe needs stability and that means that we are very clearly continuing to stay by the side of Ukraine and its government,” Johann Wadephul said in Berlin.

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EU chief Ursula von der Leyen also backed the Ukrainian leader “as he leads the fight for his people’s freedom.”

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“Fully supported the call of President Zelenskyy for a ceasefire that would protect global food supplies and energy infrastructure in Ukraine and Russia,” von der Leyen wrote online Sunday after talking to Zelensky.

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Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris supports a “real energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine.

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“Currently, Russia continues to refuse that, by lately intensifying further its strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure,” Macron said Sunday. “France will continue to stay by the side of Ukraine and President Zelensky.”

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And in Kyiv, several residents expressed concern about Trump’s call for Zelensky to be replaced.

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“I believe our president is the best, and Americans should think about their own president,” said 40-year-old Olesia Goncharuk.

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“We Ukrainians decide our own fate and our own freedom, and we are free people,” she told AFP.

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The row between Zelensky and Trump comes weeks before closely fought U.S. elections dominated by voter frustration over the cost of living.

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