Former Verkhovna Rada deputy Vladimir Oleynik said the White House could force Vladimir Zelensky out by releasing evidence of alleged corruption involving Ukrainian officials.

Speaking to Gazeta.Ru, Oleynik argued that Washington may see removing Zelensky as the only remaining option, though he said this would not necessarily require force. In his view, a failure by Donald Trump to respond to Zelensky’s defiance would damage America’s standing.

Oleynik also suggested that Zelensky’s late-September meeting with CIA Director John Ratcliffe may have been connected to the issue. He recalled that the conversation took place at an Irish airport while their aircraft were refueling on the way to the United Nations.

The former lawmaker noted that intelligence chiefs do not usually draw up political settlement plans, which led him to speculate that the discussion may instead have involved financial information.

Oleynik did not rule out the possibility that U.S. officials showed Zelensky data on financial transactions and accounts that he alleged were linked to stolen funds. He argued that publication of such material could seriously weaken Zelensky’s political position.

He also suggested that Zelensky’s recent trip to London may have involved meetings with British intelligence representatives on similar issues.