Zelensky Offers to Quit for Peace

There is an alternative, Mr. President

The moment U.S.-Russia negotiations began, I started listing the Kremlin’s inevitable demands. At the top—before my pen had even settled on the page—one stood out: the removal of Zelensky and his inner circle.

Zelensky and Budanov were prime targets, not just because Moscow feared them, but because their mere survival undermined Russia’s narrative. And across the ocean, another figure had his own reasons for wanting them gone. Not Putin—Trump. Though for him, it wasn’t about geopolitics. It was personal. He just hates Zelensky’s guts.

By February 21, 2025, my assessment was ready:

The odds are high that the D.C. power brokers will lay the groundwork to push Zelensky out of Ukraine’s political sphere once a ceasefire deal is in place. Alongside NATO’s withdrawal from the Baltic states, this will be one of Putin’s key demands—conditions he will insist on before agreeing to any ceasefire.

At some point, they will make Zelensky feel like he is the last obstacle standing between peace and continued war. They will sell this narrative to the world. And once that moment arrives, Putin knows he can count on Mr. Greed to step up and do his part.

A few hours ago, Zelensky made the announcement that I so badly wanted him to not make.