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President Donald J. Trump has suggested that Ukraine get a new president in recent comments to the press, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the United States striking a diesel deal with Russia.

Trump has called on Zelensky to cease Ukraine’s targeting of Russian refineries in the ongoing war, due to its damaging impact on the global economy. The Ukrainian leader was reportedly incensed over the U.S.’s recent decision to import Russian diesel, claiming that it would bolster Russia’s position in the war. The Trump administration has been seeking ways to reduce diesel and gas prices, which remain high due to the unresolved war in Iran.

Trump also remarked to reporters, “I think, actually, Putin wants to make a deal more than Zelensky,” and said that in his view the Ukrainian president has passed up multiple opportunities to settle the conflict. He portrayed the war as a futile stalemate at this point in time, and reiterated his opinion that the war would not have started in the first place had he been President in 2022.

Democrats, who have been incessantly attacking Trump and the GOP over cost-of-living issues in the lead-up to next month’s midterms, were quick to criticize Trump over the Russian diesel deal, echoing Zelensky’s sentiment. Former Vice President Kamala Harris took the opportunity to faintly echo Democratic attacks from Trump’s first term, framing the deal as a matter of Trump helping out Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “friend,” rather than mitigating an economic problem.

Trump has consistently stated that he is seeking an end to the protracted war between Ukraine and Russia in order to stop pointless death and destruction. He echoed those sentiments in his recent comments, mentioning that despite four years of fighting, over a million people had died in the conflict. He implied that the U.S. would ultimately compel both sides to compromise, saying, “I think they want to make a deal, but they don’t know how. But we’re going to get them to make a deal.” Despite how seemingly intractable the conflict seems, Trump accurately sees the U.S.’s role as helping to wind it down as soon as possible, even if neither side achieves their ideal outcome.