LONDON – Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told British media it would not be easy to replace him as Ukraine’s president, but repeated his offer to step down in exchange for NATO membership for his war-torn country.
US Republicans had suggested he may have to resign after US President Donald Trump dramatically turned against him during a contentious Oval Office meeting about the war with Russia on Friday.
“If they replace me, given what is going on, given the support, simply replacing me will not be simple,” Zelenskyy told British media Sunday.
“It’s not enough to just hold an election. You need to also not let me run. This will be a bit more difficult. Looks like you will have to negotiate with me,” he added.
“And I said that I am exchanging for NATO. Then I fulfilled my mission.”
The unprecedented public spat at the Oval Office resulted in Zelenskyy leaving the White House without the anticipated signing of a preliminary pact on sharing Ukrainian mineral rights.
While European leaders rallied around Ukraine, Republican officials appeared Sunday on news programs questioning whether any deal could be reached with Russia so long as Zelenskyy remains.
