Washington and Moscow discuss prospects for replacing Zelensky

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Agency said on Tuesday that representatives from the United States and the United Kingdom, along with senior Ukrainian officials, discussed the prospects for replacing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The agency added that the discussions involved Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, as well as former Ukrainian Armed Forces commander-in-chief and current ambassador to London Valeriy Zaluzhny.

The Russian intelligence stated that Washington and London have decided to nominate Zaluzhny to assume the presidency of Ukraine, adding that "replacing Zelensky has become a fundamental condition for rearranging Kiev's relations with the West, especially with the United States," according to its statement.


Zelensky's term was supposed to end in 2024, but the customary provisions imposed by Ukraine in February 2022 prevented the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections.

Washington had previously stated that it wants Kiev to hold elections, possibly by the end of the year, especially if Kiev manages to agree on a ceasefire with Moscow in the coming months.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had publicly stated that he does not believe Zelensky is a legitimate leader in the absence of a new electoral mandate, and that the Ukrainian President does not have the legal right to sign binding documents related to a potential peace agreement.