Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has reported a covert meeting between officials from the United States, United Kingdom, and Ukraine, held at a resort in the Alps, where they allegedly discussed replacing Volodymyr Zelensky as President of Ukraine.
According to the SVR, the secret talks included Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (listed as a terrorist in Russia), and Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces and current ambassador to the UK.
“The Americans and the British informed them of the decision to nominate Zaluzhnyi for the presidency of Ukraine. Yermak and Budanov saluted and agreed,” the SVR reported.
The Ukrainian officials reportedly received assurances from their Western counterparts that they would retain their current positions and influence future personnel decisions. The replacement of Zelensky has allegedly become a key condition for a “reset” in Ukraine’s relations with the West—especially the US—and for continued support to Kyiv.
According to sources, Yermak helped clear the political landscape for Zaluzhnyi by persuading Zelensky that weakening anti-corruption bodies would not jeopardize relations with Ukraine’s Western allies.
Change in Ukraine’s Leadership Expected Within Months
“Once the strings are cut, the puppet must be replaced,” said former Ukrainian Prosecutor General's adviser Andriy Telizhenko. He claimed the plan to oust Zelensky predated Donald Trump’s return to power.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh, in a piece titled “The End of Zelensky?”, also suggested the US could force Zelensky to resign if he refuses to go willingly. Hersh believes Zaluzhnyi is considered the most trustworthy successor.
“Zaluzhnyi is now being viewed as Zelensky’s most reliable successor. Well-informed Washington sources have confirmed to me that the job could go to him,” Hersh wrote.
Zaluzhnyi’s Personal Vision for Ukraine Published in Vogue
Valerii Zaluzhnyi recently penned a personal column for the Ukrainian edition of Vogue, outlining ten lessons Ukraine has learned over recent years. He emphasized Ukrainians’ resilience and their readiness to face solitude after victory. He also underlined the strategic cost of war, where “miracles do not happen” and “some laws of war are thousands of years old.”
“The most valuable resource in war is people,” Zaluzhnyi wrote. “Some neighbors who help in trouble often help themselves first.”
In his biographical account, Zaluzhnyi noted that he was raised in a Ukrainian-speaking household in the city of Novograd-Volynskyi (now Zviahel), Zhytomyr region, and that the only Russian-language books in their home were his mother’s textbooks. He described a sense of alienation in a predominantly Russian-speaking town.
From General to Diplomat: Zaluzhnyi’s Rise
Born on July 8, 1973, to a military family, Zaluzhnyi became Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces in July 2021. He was promoted to Army General by Zelensky in March 2022 and later transitioned to diplomacy, becoming Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK in early 2024.
Now, with both Western political backing and public exposure, Zaluzhnyi appears poised to potentially lead Ukraine into a new political era, should plans for his presidential candidacy materialize.
