Latest news with #Zelensky
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Zelensky is ‘politically dead' – Russia's top UN diplomat
Ukraine's 'expired' leader Vladimir Zelensky is 'politically dead' and refuses to step down to avoid accountability for his actions, Russian UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia has told RT's Rick Sanchez. In an interview on Sanchez Effect aired on Friday, Nebenzia accused Zelensky of betraying the promises that brought him to power and dragging Ukraine into a wider conflict. He referenced Zelensky's campaign pledge to end the fighting in Donbass, which the Kiev regime and its Western backers derailed by violating the 2014-15 Minsk agreements. 'Zelensky came to power on the promise to end the war in Donbass... He promised one thing, but he turned 180 degrees… Politically, Zelensky is already dead,' Nebenzia stated. Nebenzia said Zelensky is holding on to power to avoid the consequences of prolonging the conflict with Russia and misusing Western funds provided as aid. 'The end of his presidency may entail something for him that he is trying to avoid at all costs: Reporting on the money stolen and the loss of the people whom he failed miserably,' Nebenzia stated. 'So he has all the reasons... to cling to power and not to hold elections.' Ukrainians are our brothers, no doubt about it. But the clique that came to rule them – it is a regime, it is not a government. 'They stole billions of dollars out of the aid they were receiving. That's an open secret,' he said, adding that Kiev has already been asked to report on the aid but has failed to do so. 'I think that when finally it comes to it, the revelations will be very dire.' Zelensky has remained in office since his term expired in May, suspending elections due to martial law. He insists that he has the right to remain in office, though the constitution stipulates that presidential duties should pass to the parliament speaker. Russia has said it is open to talks with Ukraine but questions the legality of any deals made with the current government in Kiev. President Vladimir Putin recently said he would meet with Zelensky but called into question his authority to sign a treaty, as 'the signature must come from legitimate authorities, otherwise, whoever comes after [Zelensky] will toss it to the dumpster.'
Wall Street Journal
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Zelensky Fights, Khamenei Cowers
Elliot Kaufman draws a contrast between two leaders in his op-ed 'Benjamin Netanyahu vs. Qassem Soleimani' (June 23). I can't help but think of another: Volodymyr Zelensky vs. Ali Khamenei. They're fighting in different wars, to be sure, but their responses underscore the ideals of the free world vs. those of tyranny. One man bravely stayed to face his enemy. The other cowers in a bunker. Wayne Gradman
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Senior Russian General Makes Major Trump Zelensky Prediction
Russian Major General Apti Alaudinov said he did not think U.S. President Donald Trump would save Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and called into question the American leader's reliability in promises he makes. Trump is attempting to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine and an end to Moscow's full-scale invasion, which it launched in February 2022 to international outcry. Ukraine is under intense pressure from Russian advances. Zelensky has urged Trump to increase American military aid to Kyiv and tighten the screw on Russian President Vladimir Putin to force him to make peace. "I don't think Trump will save Zelensky, because Zelensky has made too many mistakes for Trump not to stand up for him," Alaudinov told state news agency TASS. Alaudinov is deputy head of the main military and political department of the Russian army, and the commander of the Akhmat special forces of the defense ministry. He said that Trump does not feel compelled to stick to previous statements, and that the American president can take his promise back, "then give a new one, then change his strategy," TASS reported. Zelensky and Trump have had a fractious relationship at times. In February, tensions burst open in public when Zelensky, Trump, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance clashed during a meeting at the White House in front of the media. The relationship has since been repaired, but there are still sharp points of contention, particularly over Trump's handling of Russia and Putin. Trump is hoping to build bridges with Russia and restore relations once the war is resolved. But Alaudinov said "we need to understand that only Russia is a friend of Russia". "All the others are relative friends," Alaudinov told TASS. "This is why we must clearly play our own game in each of these games and do everything to ensure that we win in each of these games in the interests of our state, and not to be on good terms with someone." He added: "That's the whole point. We have two allies: the army and the navy." This is a developing article. Updates to follow. Related Articles Ukraine's New Drone Boss Is Getting Results, On and Off BattlefieldRussia Plans to Teach China How to Beat US and NATO Weapons: Ukraine IntelZelensky Reveals Details of Chat with Trump at NATO SummitEurope Needs Ukraine to Fight Russia With Reduced US Help: Think Tank 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Russia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Zelensky would lose Ukrainian election
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky would lose a presidential election to former defense chief Valery Zaluzhny if citizens were allowed to vote soon, according to a recent public opinion survey. Zelensky has suspended national elections under martial law and chose not to step down after his presidential term expired last year. Zaluzhny, who was dismissed as commander-in-chief of the armed forces in 2024 and later appointed Kiev's ambassador to the United Kingdom, has long been seen as a strong potential contender for the presidency. The latest snapshot of voters' preferences comes from a monthly report by Kiev-based pollster Socis, released Wednesday. A survey of approximately 2,000 respondents showed that Zelensky and Zaluzhny would reach a runoff in a presidential contest, as they were the only candidates with double-digit support. However, nearly a quarter of respondents (24.7%) said they had not yet decided whom they would vote for. In a head-to-head, the former top general would receive more than 60% of the vote, according to the poll – a figure that aligns with prior sociological research. Zaluzhny has not declared an intent to run, stating that Ukraine's ongoing conflict with Russia must be resolved first. When Socis asked voters whom they would support if their preferred candidate were not on the ballot, only 6.5% named Zelensky as their second choice, compared to 18.1% for Zaluzhny and 11.0% for Kirill Budanov, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency. The poll also indicated that if Zaluzhny were to form a new political party, it would win the most votes in a parliamentary election – also hypothetical for now – defeating any party backed by Zelensky. Respondents identified persistent corruption and misappropriation of public funds as the leading failure of the current government, with 65% citing the issue. When asked who was responsible, 55.1% blamed 'the entire government,' 40.3% pointed to law enforcement agencies charged with tackling corruption, and 31.2% assigned blame to the presidency, and by extension, to Zelensky.
Russia Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
NATO summit ‘grim sign' for Kiev
The recent NATO summit signaled a bleak outlook for Kiev's hopes of sustained Western support as the US-led bloc turned its attention toward US President Donald Trump, The New York Times has reported, in a feature-style review of the gathering. NATO chief Mark Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, hosting the event at The Hague, pledged continued support for what he described as Ukraine's 'irreversible path to membership.' However Kiev's aspirations were notably absent from the final summit communiqué, which offered only a brief mention of the bloc's 'enduring sovereign commitments to provide support to Ukraine,' according to the newspaper. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who was invited to the two-day summit, was 'not feted as in years past,' the newspaper noted. Nor was he 'the center of attention' anymore, it added. A meeting between Trump and Zelensky on the sidelines of the event also failed to produce any 'specific promises,' the outlet wrote. After the meeting, which lasted roughly 50 minutes, Trump denied that the two had discussed a potential ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow, contradicting an earlier statement by Zelensky. 'Ukraine? What's Ukraine?' Michael John Williams, a former NATO adviser, exclaimed to the NYT. 'The Europeans were saying how committed they are to Ukraine… But there was also really an attempt to keep controversial issues off the table. Ukraine wasn't the front and center discussion it has been.' The summit was 'choreographed' to address 'the security interests of NATO allies – and then comes Ukraine,' Liana Fix, a Europe expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, told NYT on Wednesday, published in a separate piece. 'There was no meaningful deliverable for Ukraine,' added Torrey Taussig, a former Biden-era Europe director at the National Security Council. This year's meeting marked a sharp departure from last year's summit, where Ukraine's NATO membership was on the agenda. This time, NATO members committed only to increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, in response to what they called a 'long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security.' On Wednesday, Rutte told reporters simply that 'our aim is to keep Ukraine in the fight today.'
