Trump calls for a new Ukrainian president, drawing criticism in Germany

US President Donald Trump said Ukraine should have a new president, claiming Volodymyr Zelenskyy had rejected chances to end the war.

The war began when Russia invaded Ukraine, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected ceasefire proposals, according to the reports.

German Education Minister Karin Prien called Trump's position a “moral bankruptcy,” referring to a diesel deal with Russia.

German politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann said Ukrainians should choose their leaders in free elections, not the White House or the Kremlin.

The deal would bring hundreds of thousands of tonnes of diesel from Russia to the United States in the coming months, according to one report.

The EU has criticized the arrangement, saying that easing sanctions on Russian fuel would give Moscow more money to fund the war.

German Green Party leader Franziska Brantner urged Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the EU to put more pressure on Putin; no next steps on Trump's call for a new Ukrainian president were reported.