Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will hold elections if Vladimir Putin backs a 60-day ceasefire - but hit back at Donald Trump, insisting it is 'up to our people' to pick a leader.
asserted
it → say → leader
The US President on Saturday told Ukraine to 'get a new leader' just one day after he signed an oil deal with Putin.
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he → tell → Putin
Mr Trump said: '[Mr Zelensky] could have made many deals, and for some reason, he never does.'
uncertain
he → say → reason
His Ukrainian opposite number responded on Sunday, telling ABC News: 'First of all, with all respect to President Trump, it's up to our society, up to our people to choose one or another leader.'
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it → respond → leader
He added: 'Please tell Putin, give us two months, 60 days of total ceasefire, 60 days, and we will organise elections.'
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we → add → elections
It comes after Mr Zelensky hit a key oil hub hours after his American counterpart blindsided him by agreeing to lift sanctions on Russian oil – just weeks before America goes to the polls in the midterms.
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America → come → midterms
Mr Trump on Friday announced a deal with Putin, which will see almost two million tons of Russian oil imported to the US, as the president seeks to shore up his ratings amid rising fuel costs.
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president → announce → costs
'He better damn well stop,' Mr Trump told reporters.
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Trump → stop → reporters
He said he will hold elections if Vladimir Putin backs a 60-day ceasefire but told Trump it's 'up to our people' to pick a leader
Mr Trump on Saturday told Ukraine to 'get a new leader' after he signed an oil deal with Putin
He also stated the Russian and Ukrainian conflict started 'due to incompetence' on Mr Zelensky's part.
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conflict → say → part
'That's a war that should have never started.
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that → start → ?
And I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president,' Mr Trump said.
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Trump → think → president
Mr Trump has been facing increasing backlash from voters over the war with Iran, which has helped diesel prices soar from $3.68 per gallon a year ago to $6.28 by Friday.
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prices → face → Friday
He reportedly decided to seal the agreement with the Russian dictator after Mr Zelensky did not agree to his requests to stop strikes on oil infrastructure.
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Zelensky → decide → infrastructure
A US official told Axios: 'Zelensky is misreading the room.
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Zelensky → tell → room
By continuing to hit refineries, he is eroding the good will that he has built with Trump over the last six months.'
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he → continue → months
Ukraine's success at targeting the industry in Russia has caused a crisis for Putin, but the nation does still have surplus diesel it can spare.
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it → target → diesel
In the immediate aftermath of the Trump-Putin call, the Kremlin staged a new strike on sleeping Ukrainian civilians in Zaporizhzhia killing seven including at least three children, all girls, with ten wounded and 16 'missing'.
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16 → stag → children
It brought the total to almost 90 civilians killed by Russia in three days.
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It → bring → days
The diesel pact between Mr Trump and Putin stunned Kyiv, with the Ukrainian leader accusing the US president of 'weakness' by caving in to the Russian.
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leader → stun → Russian
But Mr Trump accused Mr Zelensky of ignoring six pleas to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, which were raising prices, especially for diesel in the US ahead of midterm elections.
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which → accuse → elections
Twisting the knife, Putin's foreign affairs aide, Yury Ushakov, said the one-and-a-half-hour call with Mr Trump was so friendly 'neither side wanted to hang up first'.
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side → twist → Trump
Mr Trump said he was 'ready to continue communicating with Vladimir Putin this evening, through the night, and into the next day'.
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he → say → day
Boris Johnson led a backlash at the US President today after he doubled down on his 'sickening' diesel deal with Putin.
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he → lead → Putin
Andy Burnham spoke to Mr Zelensky by phone yesterday to reassure him of the UK's ongoing support.
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Burnham → speak → support
The leaders are expected to meet face to face in the coming days.
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leaders → expect → days
Giving broadcast interviews this morning, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: 'We stand with Ukraine.'
'It's not the first time we've seen these sorts of tensions between Kyiv and Washington...
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we → give → Kyiv
our role, our responsibility, in this situation is to try to bring our friends back together,' he told Sky News.
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he → try → News
Mr Streeting suggested Mr Trump was grappling with 'political reality' of domestic elections.
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Trump → suggest → elections
'Let's be candid about this: midterms are coming up, cost of living is an issue,' he said.
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he → let → living
'No doubt President Trump is feeling the same pressure that lots of leaders are facing in terms of wanting to ease cost-of-living pressures, energy prices.
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lots → feel → pressures
'I think it's just a political reality, isn't it?
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it → think → ?
That cost of living is high on the public's agenda in this country, elsewhere, and no doubt President Trump wants to respond to that.
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Trump → want → that
We would obviously prefer a stronger approach on sanctions.'
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We → prefer → sanctions
Mr Streeting said people often 'talk down' the US contribution to Ukrainian defence, but 'I've found the US administration to be highly engaged on Ukraine'.
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administration → say → Ukraine
Former PM Mr Johnson - a strong supporter of Ukraine - posted on social media last night: 'It is sickening that the USA is now lifting sanctions on Russian fuel, and transparently ridiculous to blame Ukraine for the spike in prices that obviously began with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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that → post → Hormuz
The US President announced a deal with Putin, which will see almost two million tons of Russian oil imported to the US, as the president seeks to shore up his ratings
Ukraine hit a key oil hub hours after Mr Trump blindsided Kyiv by agreeing to lift sanctions on Russian oil
'
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Trump → announce → oil
Putin is murdering innocent Ukrainian civilians every day.
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Putin → murder → civilians
'The Ukrainians are fighting for their lives.
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Ukrainians → fight → lives
And yet the White House is apparently determined to force American drivers to bankroll Putin's slaughter.
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House → force → slaughter
It won't work and I doubt it will make much difference to the price of fuel.
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it → work → fuel
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
