Britain's support for Zelenskyy was restated at ministerial level on Sunday after Donald Trump said at the weekend that Ukraine should get a new leader able to deliver a peace deal, accusing the Ukrainian president of failing to end the war.

Streeting: Putin is the aggressor

Wes Streeting, the defence secretary, said Ukrainians alone should be able to decide who leads their country. Appearing on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he placed responsibility for the conflict firmly with Moscow.

Streeting added that Putin "is the person who could end this war tomorrow, and he chooses not to", saying Britain stands with Ukraine and with President Zelenskyy.

Midterm pressure over fuel prices

Streeting suggested Trump's criticism of Zelenskyy should be seen against domestic political pressure over fuel prices ahead of next month's midterm elections. Trump has blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries for pushing up American diesel prices.

The pressure on the White House, Streeting indicated, has several strands:

• •Trump faces rising political pressure over the economic fallout from the war with Iran, which has driven up global energy prices
• •Soaring fuel costs have hit Americans and added to inflation, particularly in agricultural states such as Iowa, Kansas, Texas and Ohio, where farmers depend on diesel
• •Those traditionally Republican-leaning states face rising cost of living pressures, creating a headache for Trump as his party tries to hold its majorities

"Let's be candid about this: midterms are coming up, cost of living is an issue," Streeting told Sky News, saying Trump was feeling pressure over energy prices.

Russian diesel deal draws criticism

The exchange follows Washington's announcement of a controversial agreement to buy Russian diesel. Zelenskyy condemned the deal as a gift to Putin, warning that increased Russian energy revenues would help finance the war against Ukraine.

Streeting acknowledged Britain would have preferred a harder line. "I think it's just a political reality, isn't it? We would obviously prefer a stronger approach on sanctions," he said. But he urged against overstating the decision, telling Sky News: "Let's not overstate the impact of President Trump's decision on purchasing oil from Russia and let's not also understate US support for Ukraine". Britain's priority, he insisted, was maintaining western unity.

Gen Sir Richard Barrons, an author of Britain's strategic defence review, warned that Trump's Russian diesel deal would lead to more Ukrainian deaths by helping Moscow fund its war. He told Sky News that money from Russian oil and gas pays for the "missiles and drones that it fires at Ukraine", said the deal would mean more Ukrainians being killed "for sure", and argued security interests were being sacrificed to serve an election.

Burnham call and Houthi attack

Prime Minister Andy Burnham restated his "complete solidarity" with Ukraine in a phone call with Zelenskyy on Saturday, and Downing Street said the two leaders had agreed to meet in person in the coming days. Burnham has pledged to strengthen sanctions against Russia, while both leaders called for an immediate energy ceasefire.

Streeting also addressed the overnight Houthi attack on King Khalid international airport in Riyadh, which killed 12 people and injured more than 300 others. He described it as a "shocking escalation" and said Britain already provides air-to-air refuelling and ground-based air defence support.

He said he had spoken to his Saudi counterpart on several occasions in recent weeks about what further support Britain could provide, and had been discussing further military assistance with Saudi Arabia. Asked whether Britain could join US offensive operations against the Houthis, he said: "That's not what we're looking at, at this stage", insisting there is no military solution to the conflict. Britain, he said, is not currently considering offensive operations, though he declined to categorically rule out future involvement.