Zelenskyy claps back after Trump calls for new Ukrainian president to replace him

October 11, 2026 / 9:26 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday vowed to continue striking Russian oil refineries, pushing back against recent comments from President Trump, who took aim at Zelenskyy's leadership. After Mr. Trump suggested Zelenskyy should be replaced and blamed him for high diesel prices, the Ukrainian president said Russia alone was responsible for the war in Ukraine.

"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 (Russian President Vladimir) Putin does not want to do so," he said, adding that any de-escalation must be reciprocal and backed by real guarantees.

The exchange came as Kyiv pressed its campaign against infrastructure deep inside Russia, with a drone attack on Sunday shutting down a data center run by Russian technology giant Yandex, the third strike on the company's facilities in four days. 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.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha pushed back on…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/