Zelensky in Moscow or Zaluzhny in Kyiv?

Sources close to European intelligence services report that the Kremlin had been betting on President Volodymyr Zelensky accepting Vladimir Putin’s invitation to come to Moscow for talks under guarantees of personal security. The calculation, according to these assessments, was based on Zelensky and his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, recognizing their precarious position and on Europe—specifically the British—being ready to replace them with Valerii Zaluzhny, forcing all sides of the conflict to accept the fait accompli. However, Yermak immediately rejected Putin's proposal. He, along with Zelensky, remains confident that he can still “talk the Kremlin around,” even under the worst-case scenarios for Kyiv, and secure acceptable conditions for “saving face” along with guarantees of personal security. Against this backdrop, the threat posed by Zaluzhny’s potential rise appears more pressing, and considerable effort is being directed at countering it. This became one of the key reasons behind Zelensky’s refusal to travel to Moscow, as he sought to avoid giving his powerful political rival any further advantages. Zelensky’s Public Refusal President Zelensky for the second time declined to visit Moscow to meet with Putin. He made this announcement during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, broadcast by France24.