Sybiha says Zelenskyy has Ukrainians' support and that they have the right to decide
Andrii SybihaMinister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, in a post on his X account
Ukraine's foreign minister wrote that Zelenskyy has the support of Ukrainians, that they have the right to decide, and that statements from abroad confirm he is doing his job well.
“He has the support of the Ukrainian people, and they have the right to decide. Statements from abroad only confirm that he is doing his job well. He deserves support.”
Original post
Original text
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Trump says it's time for Ukraine to get a new president; Kyiv says Ukrainians will decide
On October 10, 2026, President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that it was time for Ukraine to get a new president. He said Volodymyr Zelenskyy could have settled the war with Russia many times and chose not to, and he faulted Ukraine for striking Russian oil refineries after he told Zelenskyy not to. The remarks came a day after Trump announced a deal with Vladimir Putin to bring more Russian diesel to world markets, which Zelenskyy criticized. Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, replied that Zelenskyy has the support of Ukrainians and that they have the right to decide. Elon Musk wrote that he agreed with Trump, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Zelenskyy had not shown the political will to make the decisions needed to stop the war. Zelenskyy told NPR that the question of replacing him was not new and that the focus should be on ending the war. On October 19, Trump said it was time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Ukraine's foreign minister posted this on X on the evening of October 10, 2026, hours after President Trump told reporters it was time for Ukraine to get a new president.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Original text
About this source
Roll Call's Factba.se time-coded transcript of the questions President Trump took from reporters on the White House South Lawn on October 10, 2026, before he left for a rally in Tennessee.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Report on the responses of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to President Trump's October 10, 2026 remarks.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Earlier on October 10, President Trump told reporters at the White House that Zelenskyy could have settled the war many times and that it was time for Ukraine to get a new president. Sybiha's post opens by saying Zelenskyy leads the nation in a war for independence, freedom and dignity.
After the quotation
The next day, Zelenskyy wrote that Ukraine would be ready to stop striking Russian oil refineries if Russia stopped striking Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is President Trump's October 10, 2026 call for Ukraine to get a new president. Sybiha answers it without naming Trump or criticizing the call directly. He disputes its premise that Zelenskyy has failed: he writes that Zelenskyy has the support of Ukrainians, that statements from abroad only confirm he is doing his job well, and that Ukrainians have the right to decide. Rejecting that description of Zelenskyy, without an express criticism of the call itself, fits a challenge to the characterization better than a condemnation.
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More from this case
Read the full caseZelenskyy says the focus should be on ending the war, not on replacing him
“Because the topic - how to change me - I think it's not the new topic. Putin began it. President Trump also, yes, raised this topic. It's not something new for me. Maybe focus to end the war, not to end me.”Read statement
Peskov says Zelenskyy has not shown the political will to end the war
“Trump said that he believes the time has come for a new president. Why? Because the president of Ukraine has to make very responsible and very difficult decisions to stop this war. Either Zelenskyy takes on that responsibility and shows that kind of political will, or he does not. So far he has not. (Translated from Russian. Original: Трамп сказал, что он считает, что пришло время для нового президента. Почему? Потому что президент Украины должен принять очень ответственные и очень сложные решения для остановки этой войны. Или Зеленский берет на себя такую ответственность, проявляет такую политическую волю, или он этого не делает. Пока он этого не делает)”Read statement
Musk agrees it is time for Ukraine to get a new leader
“I agree, time for Ukraine to get a new leader”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Sybiha says Zelenskyy has Ukrainians' support and that they have the right to decide". First published: 2026-10-21. Last updated: 2026-10-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/6386-ukraine-s-foreign-minister-wrote-that-zelenskyy-has