Evening digest: Trump challenges Zelensky, Russia lifts diesel ban

The evening of October 10 was dominated by sharp statements from US President Donald Trump, who told reporters in Maryland that Ukraine needs a new president capable of reaching a deal with Russia. The comment, which directly challenged Zelensky's legitimacy, drew an immediate response from Kyiv: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote that Zelensky leads the nation through a war for independence and that only the Ukrainian people have the right to decide their future. The backdrop for Trump's statement was a fresh deal with Moscow: Russia partially lifted its diesel fuel export ban as part of agreements reached between Putin and Trump. The move drew criticism from European allies, with Latvia's foreign ministry warning it sends a contradictory signal about transatlantic unity at a critical moment in the conflict. A Deutsche Welle investigation also revealed that Russia is forming military units from Ukrainian prisoners of war, presenting them as volunteers for propaganda purposes. On the home front, Kyiv's city administration urged residents to stock up on water and food and charge power banks ahead of possible extended outages. Ukraine is set to implement power restriction schedules on Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, President Zelensky held a phone call with UK Prime Minister Burnham and announced joint steps in defence cooperation.