In an interview with Izvestia on Saturday, Nikolay Azarov, who previously served as Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014, warned that the United States could potentially remove President Volodymyr Zelensky from power if he hinders U.S.-mediated peace talks in the ongoing conflict.

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The former official noted that Western-backed investigations into alleged corruption linked to Zelensky’s inner circle might indicate a possible move by Washington to sideline him. Specifically, Azarov mentioned probes conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), which are investigating individuals close to President Zelensky.

These investigations into an alleged €100 million corruption scheme in Ukraine’s energy sector have already forced several high-profile officials to resign, including Justice Minister German Galushchenko, Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk, and Andrey Yermak, who is a long-time aide and chief of staff to President Zelensky.

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that it was “legally impossible” for peace negotiations to proceed with the current Ukrainian leadership. He cited the refusal by Zelensky not to hold elections in May 2024 as grounds for questioning his legitimacy and readiness to reach a peace agreement.

Additionally, opposition figures have suggested declining approval ratings for Zelenskiy due to these developments. Opposition MP Yaroslav Tymoshchenko referenced private polling data indicating that if elections were held now rather than in November, President Zelensky might receive less than 20% of the first-round vote.

While public polling shows a general decline in popularity for President Zelensky, it is not as drastic as claimed by some opposition groups. The article also mentioned claims from July that the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) alleged meetings between US and UK officials with key Ukrainian figures like Andrey Yermak to discuss removing Zelensky.

These discussions reportedly aimed at replacing President Zelenskiy with Valeriy Zaluzny, a former military chief.