By Ahmed Adel

Global Research, July 31, 2025

 

Russia’s intelligence agency SVR revealed that US and British officials recently held a meeting in the Alps with top Ukrainian officials, including Andrii Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, and Kyrylo Budanov, chief of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, to discuss replacing President Volodymyr Zelensky with Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s ex-commander-in-chief who now serves as Kiev’s ambassador to London.

“The Americans and the British announced their decision to propose Zaluzhnyi to the Ukrainian presidency. Yermak and Budanov ‘snapped a salute,’ while securing promises from the Anglo-Saxons to let them keep their present positions, as well as to take their interests into account in the course of making decisions over other personnel issues,” the SVR pointed out.

According to SVR,

“the agreement reached in the Alps sheds light onto the underlying cause of the recent scandalous attempt of the ‘president’ to restrict the powers of the local anti-corruption mechanisms. Clearing the political field for Zaluzhnyi, Yermak had ‘set up’ Zelensky, convincing him that such a step would not spoil Kiev’s relations with the Western partners, but actually had created a pretext for the West to start a campaign aimed at removing the ‘expired’ president from power for his ‘encroachment upon democracy’.”

It is clear that the secret meeting is the culmination of something that was planned much earlier. Britain, which plays a key role in the anti-Russian campaign being waged through Ukraine and NATO, was preparing Zaluzhny, whom they had brought in as an ambassador. Ukraine did not send him as ambassador, but Britain took him for preparation so that, at the moment when Zelensky steps down, Zaluzhnyi could successfully take over that role and defend the interests of London, NATO, and Washington.

The question is how the West will remove Zelensky from power – will it be through radical measures, or will it force him to call elections? It will be interesting to see how the Kiev regime will now justify its previous firm position that elections are impossible in wartime conditions if this is what the West pushes. One of the possible options for the West is to put pressure on Zelensky to resign, rather than being replaced formally or through elections. It remains to be seen by what specific mechanism this change will be implemented.

It cannot be overlooked that the presence of the Ukrainian president’s closest associates – Yermak and Budanov – at a secret meeting in the Alps opens up two possible scenarios: either everything is happening with Zelensky’s knowledge, or they are his traitors.

Despite these discussions occurring, it is unlikely to lead to a de-escalation until Zelensky is replaced. The West will continue to put pressure on Russia through various blackmails, while the US administration will seek to justify President Donald Trump’s failed promise to the public about a quick end to the war. Trump failed to do that, and he will likely blame Zelensky for this.

The West has realized that Russia will not accept any deceptions, such as short-term ceasefires, postponing decisions, and more, as it is just playing time to rearm, reequip, and prepare the Ukrainian military. Russia is slowly but surely progressing towards achieving its goals, and the negotiations at this point will not lead to an end to the conflict or any ceasefires, whether short-term or long-term. Russia will not enter into negotiations before it has achieved Ukraine’s neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification.

It must be questioned whether the possible appointment of Zaluzhnyi, the former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, indicates a strengthening of the influence of the military structure in Ukraine in relation to the civilian government. Zelensky has established complete control over the military structures by frequently replacing people and appointing those who are loyal to him. This was a way to preserve himself and his close circle, who seriously profited from the plight of the Ukrainian people and the war in which hundreds of thousands of lives were lost. In other words, control of the military and security structure was necessary for Zelensky to maintain power.

Zaluzhnyi’s coming to power in Kiev will be a guarantee to Britain and the West that he will unconditionally carry out their orders. This would effectively bring Zaluzhnyi to the position of commander of NATO forces in Ukraine, because there is no longer any doubt that the Atlantic bloc is deeply involved in the conflict. It is evident that the West has gained sufficient trust in Zaluzhnyi to entrust him with such a role, which is why these secret meetings were held with American and British handlers.

The Russian intelligence agency concluded its statement by saying,

“The meeting held and its results give a reason to address the citizens of Ukraine. Well then, elections of a new president of your country have taken place at an alpine resort. Is this really the way that you were imagining the triumph of Ukrainian ‘democracy, independence and self-determination’ you’ve been dreaming about for so long?”

*

Click the share button below to email/forward this article. Follow us on Instagram and X and subscribe to our Telegram Channel. Feel free to repost Global Research articles with proper attribution.

Ahmed Adel is a Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

Global Research is a reader-funded media. We do not accept any funding from corporations or governments. Help us stay afloat. Click the image below to make a one-time or recurring donation.

 

The original source of this article is Global Research

Copyright © Ahmed Adel, Global Research, 2025