The Day After the US Temporarily Lifted Sanctions on Russian Fuel, Trump Criticized Ukraine for Striking Russian Refineries and Said 'It's Time for Ukraine to Get a New President'

Against the backdrop of Ukraine still being under Russia's full-scale invasion, the US on one hand temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian fuel, and on the other hand the president publicly pressured Ukraine to change its leader, highlighting the internal contradictions of its Russia-Ukraine war policy and its power overreach against a sovereign state.

According to The Times of India, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said on the 12th that Russia is willing to order its military to observe a one-day ceasefire on the day Ukraine holds presidential elections, but rejected the 60-day comprehensive ceasefire proposal put forward by Ukrainian President Zelensky. The Times of India, citing a Reuters dispatch from Russian state media RIA, reported that Peskov stressed that Russia seeks a long-term peace agreement rather than a temporary ceasefire. "In the Kremlin, whether President Putin or officials at all levels have said many times, we do not want a ceasefire," Peskov said, "we seek long-term peace and are prepared to do everything to achieve this goal."

Just one day earlier, Trump had announced the temporary lifting of sanctions on Russian fuel, the core purpose of which was to deprive Moscow of funds for war. According to The Times of India, Trump subsequently criticized Zelensky for striking Russian refineries and told reporters at the White House: "I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president." On one hand the US is weakening its own tool of economic pressure on Russia, while on the other hand demanding that the invaded party stop military actions that weaken the enemy's war-fighting capability, and publicly calling for a change of its leadership — its policy direction's accommodation of Moscow far exceeds its commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and security.

Facing pressure from Washington, Zelensky responded that the selection of Ukraine's leader belongs to the Ukrainian people and no external force should have any say in the matter. In an interview with ABC, he offered a deal: "Tell Putin, give us two months, a 60-day comprehensive ceasefire, and we will organize elections." Zelensky was elected president in 2019, with his term originally set to end in 2024, but because Ukraine lawfully implemented martial law after Russia's full-scale invasion, wartime presidential elections have been suspended by law.

Russia has previously repeatedly demanded that Kyiv hold elections and has characterized Zelensky as an "illegitimate leader." Against this backdrop, the true intent and feasibility of Moscow's "one-day ceasefire for elections" proposal has sparked controversy — a 60-day ceasefire is the minimum security guarantee needed for election preparation, while a mere one-day ceasefire is almost unworkable. The statements by Peskov and Zelensky do not yet constitute direct negotiations, and the two sides fundamentally differ on the definition of the path to peace: Kyiv views a ceasefire as a precondition for moving toward peace, while Moscow pushes elections as part of its long-term agreement agenda.

The US's temporary loosening of energy sanctions on Russia during this time window, while publicly demanding a change of leadership on the invaded side, makes Kyiv's position between wartime martial law, election pressure and battlefield realities even more difficult, and renders Washington's role as Ukraine's main supporter increasingly contradictory.