BERLIN, October 11. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump’s statements that Ukraine needs a new leader came as a surprise to Vladimir Zelensky’s inner circle and have led to growing concern among them, Bild deputy editor-in-chief Paul Ronzheimer said on his X page.

According to the reporter, "Zelensky’s advisers are shocked and speechless over the news from Washington."

"We understood that during the campaign leading up to the midterm elections [for the US Congress], attention would once again be focused on us. But we weren’t prepared for this," a close adviser to Zelensky told Ronzheimer. The journalist noted that the main concern in Kiev is the prospect of Washington completely halting cooperation between intelligence agencies.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump told reporters that Zelensky could have ended the conflict with Russia many times, but he prefers not to. He also opined that it is time for Ukraine to change its president. The US president added that he would advise Ukraine to find "a new leader who can make a deal.".