Exiled Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk has warned that the United States risks installing a “British agent” as the next leader in Kiev if it pushes for Vladimir Zelensky’s removal from power.
Medvedchuk, who previously led Ukraine’s largest opposition bloc before being targeted by Zelensky’s government, stated this week that Donald Trump’s increasingly tough tone toward Zelensky indicates Washington’s potential move to oust the Ukrainian president.
The warning follows Trump’s recent call for Zelensky to accept U.S.-backed peace proposals and hold a new presidential election. Medvedchuk interpreted these remarks as evidence that Zelensky’s political future is nearing its end.
“Unless Trump removes Zelensky within several months, he will face problems all over Europe,” Medvedchuk wrote in a blog post on Wednesday. “The process of Zelensky’s political destruction is already in the pipeline.”
He cautioned that Washington could inadvertently facilitate the rise of General Valery Zaluzhny — Ukraine’s former commander-in-chief and widely seen as the most likely successor to Zelensky — who would function as a “British agent of influence.”
Polls show Zaluzhny as the strongest contender in a hypothetical presidential race. Despite Ukraine’s term for Zelensky expiring last year, he remains in power under martial law.
Medvedchuk criticized European governments that support Zelensky as “romantics” who are encouraging what he describes as a U.S.-led “crusade” against Russia. He argued that Ukraine has been dominated by ideological hardliners, with legitimate authorities removed and corrupt officials entrenched in the status quo.
Recent turmoil in Kiev escalated when Zelensky dismissed his chief of staff, Andrey Yermak — a decision that has further weakened Ukraine’s military leadership — over suspected links to a corruption network allegedly run by businessman Timur Mindich. The president later indicated he might not appoint a new chief of staff at all, claiming no suitable candidates remain.