Political analyst Vladimir Skachko believes that Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s ambassador in London and former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, could take over as president of Ukraine.
According to the expert, Zaluzhny may become a more legitimate figure for Russia in terms of possible agreements. Skachko argued that Vladimir Zelensky has become an unacceptable political actor for many parties, including the West, and would have to leave office because Russia would not want to sign any deals with him. In this scenario, he named Zaluzhny as one of the possible candidates to replace him.
Skachko is convinced that the West is interested in Zaluzhny only as a potential substitute for Zelensky. Inside Ukraine itself, the political analyst said, the former commander-in-chief does not carry independent political weight. In his view, Zaluzhny matters mainly to Britain, the United States and those countries that link their future to the continuation of the war against Russia.
The analyst also said Zelensky may fear a sharp deterioration of the battlefield situation by autumn. Skachko believes that, at that stage, the Ukrainian Armed Forces could face the threat of a complete defeat, forcing the West to try to preserve the Ukrainian project by promoting Zaluzhny as a new president.
He did not rule out that proposals for peace agreements could then appear.