Kremlin: US will replace Ukraine’s Zelensky after he serves his purpose

Kremlin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov says the US and its allies will support Volodymyr Zelensky until he completes his objectives, following which he will be replaced.

On the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Peskov spoke in an interview with the outlet Izvestia, during which he discussed President Vladimir Putin’s recent comments on the future of Ukraine's leader.

“Obviously, he (Zelensky) will be removed,” Peskov said.

The remark came after Putin recently noted that the West has already identified several potential candidates to become the president of Ukraine. Putin also accused Zelensky of carrying out a coup by extending his presidential term beyond the legally mandated date of May 20.

Zelensky contended that Ukrainian law prohibits holding elections during a state of emergency, necessitating his remaining in office until the resolution of the conflict with Russia.

However, the Ukrainian constitution doesn't provide a clear definition on the continuity of power during martial law and does not include such restrictions.

The former Kremlin aide and special presidential envoy to Ukraine, Vladislav Surkov, said on Thursday that by rejecting the Minsk agreements, Zelensky has escalated the situation dangerously close to a world war, making a peaceful resolution of the conflict unattainable as long as he remains in power.

"By rejecting the Minsk agreements, Zelensky has removed the fuse from the mechanism for starting a global war," Surkov said.

"The peace formula is simple, here it is, write it down: minus Zelensky." "Only by the method of subtracting this imaginary value can we get a result," the former Kremlin aide opined.

In his interview, Peskov also provided further explanation regarding Putin's Wednesday remarks, where he mentioned US pressure on Ukraine to mobilize younger men in the war.

“Obviously, reducing the mobilization age will cause an increasing wave of negativity in Ukrainian society,” he said.

Putin has said that Washington has enticed Kiev to decrease the draft age from 27 to 25, aiming to further reduce it to 23, and eventually to 20 or even directly to 18.

“The law has to be passed and certain steps have to be taken,” Putin explained. “It is now June 2024, and in order to do this, I feel, it will take a year. He (Zelensky) will be tolerated until the spring, until the beginning of next year at the very least. When it is done, they will say goodbye.”

Russia warns American leaders against ‘fatal’ miscalculations in Ukraine

Russia warns American leaders against making "fatal" miscalculations in Ukraine.

Putin believes that Ukraine is facing a significant challenge as it loses approximately 50,000 soldiers every month, while only being able to mobilize 30,000 replacements. This situation leaves Kiev with a seemingly insurmountable problem.

Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, following Kiev’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements and Moscow’s recognition of the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Negotiated under the auspices of France, Germany, and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Minsk agreements were signed by Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE special representative in September 2014 and February 2015.

The agreements were designated to end a military conflict in Ukraine’s eastern region, between the government forces and the armed separatists.

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