WP: Zelensky was ready to resign

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to resign in February to end Russia's military operation, writes the Washington Post.

"I'm not trying to hold on to power. If it's just a matter of me leaving and that will stop the bloodshed, then I'm all for it. I would leave right now. I didn't get into politics for this, and I'll leave when you say if it is stop the war," Zelensky said.

The article notes that Zelensky also received appeals from US and European officials about the need to preserve the continuity of power. In some cases, he was offered help to leave the capital. Officials believed that by ensuring his own safety, he could prevent a power vacuum.

In addition, Zelenskiy suspected that some of his foreign interlocutors simply wanted the conflict to end as quickly as possible, with his administration effectively surrendering to Russia.

“Of all those who called me, there was no one who believed that we would hold out,” Zelensky told reporters.