Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump on sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York, September 22, 2026
Saturday’s Coverage: Trump — Putin Is Selling Diesel Fuel to US
UPDATE 0654 GMT:
For the third time in four days, Ukraine has struck a data center of the Russian internet services company Yandex.
The center in the Vladimir region has been shut down completely.
“There are power interruptions in the ru-central1-a availability zone. The team is working to resolve the issue,” the company posted.
Ukraine struck centers in the Ryazan and Kaluga regions on Thursday and Friday.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Having undermined Ukraine’s resistance against Russia’s invasion with an agreement to buy Moscow’s diesel fuel, Donald Trump is calling for the replacement of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“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,” Trump said.
Zelensky has criticized Friday’s statement by Trump effectively suspending US sanctions on Moscow, amid high diesel prices caused by the US War on Iran. He said of the happy birthday present for [Vladimir] Putin”: “It is certainly not honest, it is certainly unworthy of our partners, and it is, in my view, a weak decision.”
Trump made the comments as Russia murdered more Ukrainian civilians in airstrikes. In Zaporizhzhia city in southern Ukraine, 20 civilians were killed, including three children, and 18 injured by Russia’s bombing of a residential neighborhood early Saturday.
Russian attacks also cut power to much of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.
Zelensky responded on social media:
Today, Russia expressed its thanks for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia.
Last night confirmed once again that in Russia, they take any easing of pressure to mean they can keep fighting, to mean they can keep dropping bombs on cities. Different signals are needed.
European Support for Ukraine
European leaders reaffirmed support for Kyiv. European Union foreign policy head Kaja Kallas noted the diesel deal “provides Moscow with more revenues to wage war”: “This is not the time to ease pressure on Russia, and Europe won’t.”
Kallas said EU foreign ministers will add 1,600 individuals and entities to the sanctions blacklist on Monday.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed “regret” as energy revenues are “a vital source of funding Russia’s war of aggression”. German Government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said Berlin “remains committed to the sanctions imposed on Russia and is working with its European partners on further sanctions”.
In a call with Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he recognized that “the past 24 hours had been difficult for Ukraine” and reiterated “his complete solidarity”. The leaders discussed “the importance of maintaining pressure on Russia” with the UK continuing to “strengthen its sanctions on Russia and to take further action to constrain the Russian war machine”.
The leaders agreed to meet in person in the coming days.
In contrast, Vladimir Putin’s chief financial advisor Kirill Dmitriev, who has manipulated Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner since spring 2025, said the call is “historic”.
