Kremlin distrusts Zelensky but sees political settlement without him as 'impossible'

In contrast to the hardline stance of US President Donald Trump toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Kremlin’s position has been more measured and cautious, notably affirming that “regardless of desires,” discussing any political settlement without Ukraine’s current leadership is “impossible.” Moscow, which has long questioned Zelenskyy’s “legitimacy” and spoken of the difficulty of reaching a peace agreement with a man whose presidential term ended two years ago, and who has not held elections to renew public confidence in him and his policies and grant him a mandate to speak on behalf of the Ukrainian people, now faces a new challenge as the rift between Zelenskyy and Trump has reached a point of final rupture. Trump declared that he sees no “person he can deal with” in Zelenskyy and spoke of the inevitability of reaching a final settlement to the conflict “without Zelenskyy.”

The Kremlin’s position does not appear isolated from the contexts of the ongoing conflict, public sentiment in Europe, and domestic opinion in Ukraine. Therefore, despite Russia’s numerous objections to Zelenskyy’s conduct, and even though Moscow itself contributed to deepening his rift with Trump and invested in widening the divide to ensure the cutoff of US intelligence aid to Ukraine and to reduce military support to the lowest possible level, it does not appear particularly enthusiastic about a complete US reversal regarding the Ukrainian leader.