On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) revealed that the United States and the United Kingdom have discussed replacing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the agency, the discussions involved Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak; Ukrainian military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov; and former commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces—currently serving as ambassador to London—Valerii Zaluzhny.
The Russian intelligence report claims that Washington and London have agreed to nominate Zaluzhny to take over Ukraine’s presidency, adding that “replacing Zelensky has become a key condition for reorganizing Kyiv’s relations with the West, particularly with the United States.
Zelensky’s term was originally set to end in 2024, but the martial law imposed in February 2022 prevented presidential and parliamentary elections from being held.
Washington has previously confirmed that it wants Ukraine to hold elections, possibly by the end of this year—especially if Kyiv can reach a ceasefire agreement with Moscow in the coming months.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly stated that he does not consider Zelensky a legitimate leader due to the absence of a renewed electoral mandate and that the Ukrainian president lacks the legal authority to sign binding documents related to a potential peace deal.