Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov believes Vladimir Zelensky’s political future depends entirely on the position of the United States.

According to Azarov, if the White House decides that Zelensky should leave office, questions surrounding his legitimacy would no longer be decisive. He added that Washington has not yet made such a decision.

Azarov suggested that the United States has several ways to remove Zelensky if necessary, ranging from legal pressure to offering him a comfortable exit from the country.

He also argued that Zelensky remains useful to the US authorities because the conflict continues under his leadership while the American military-industrial complex receives large financial flows. In Azarov’s view, this is why Washington is not currently interested in replacing the head of the Kiev government.

On August 19, former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov spoke of a systemic crisis in state governance and called for presidential elections. He said the authorities should serve the country and that restoring democracy requires an election campaign.

Former Zelensky spokeswoman Yulia Mendel also previously criticized the Ukrainian leadership, describing it as a government of parasites. She said a recent investigation uncovered alleged schemes involving at least $22.5 million and claimed the cases directly affected Zelensky’s office.