UK PM consoles Zelensky after Trump calls for his ouster

Andy Burnham has expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian leader after the US president said he should be replaced UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has rushed to reassure Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky after US President Donald Trump publicly called for his replacement.

The US leader accused Zelensky of refusing to reach a peace deal with Moscow and worsening the global fuel crisis through continued Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.

Burnham called Zelensky on Saturday, the day Trump suggested that the Ukrainian leader should be replaced for refusing to reach a settlement with Moscow.

The UK prime minister described the previous 24 hours as being “difficult for Ukraine” and “reiterated his complete solidarity,” according to Downing Street.

Burnham and Zelensky also discussed “the importance of maintaining pressure on Russia,” with London vowing to slap Moscow with additional sanctions.

Earlier on Saturday, Trump accused Zelensky of seeking to “make problems for the world” through the continued attacks on the Russian energy infrastructure, including refineries.

“I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal,” he said.

Read more Zelensky should be ousted – Trump (VIDEO) Trump’s remarks shocked Kiev, according to German reporter Paul Ronzheimer.

“We never expected this,” a close adviser to Zelensky told the journalist, adding that Kiev fears that Washington could suspend intelligence-sharing.

On Friday, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached an agreement aimed at reining in skyrocketing global fuel prices.

Washington temporarily waived sanctions on Russian diesel, while Moscow agreed to release 300,000 metric tons of diesel immediately and another 500,000 in November.

Zelensky called Trump’s decision “weak.” Kiev’s European backers have repeatedly rushed to Zelensky’s defense following public criticism from Trump.

In February 2025, after Trump branded Zelensky a “dictator without elections” and slammed him for his unwillingness to reach a deal with Moscow, then-UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and several European leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, publicly defended the Ukrainian leader and criticized Trump’s choice of words.

Later that month, a White House meeting between Trump and Zelensky descended into a shouting match, with the US president accusing his guest of gambling with millions of lives and risking World War III.