Zelensky: replacing me is “not simple”

Shafaq News/ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that replacing him would not be easy, reiterating his offer to step down in exchange for NATO membership for Ukraine.

"If they replace me, given what is going on, given the support, simply replacing me will not be simple," Zelensky told British media.

"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."

Zelensky’s comments come after some US Republicans suggested he may have to resign following a tense Oval Office meeting on Friday, during which former US President Donald Trump sharply criticized the Ukrainian leader over the war with Russia.

"We need a leader that can deal with us, eventually deal with the Russians, and end this war," US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told CNN.

"And if it becomes apparent that President Zelensky's either personal motivations or political motivations are divergent from ending the fighting in this country, then I think we have a real issue."

US House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed Waltz’s remarks, saying on NBC’s "Meet the Press," "Either he needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country to do that."

Following the Oval Office confrontation, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, once a supporter of Zelensky, signaled a shift in his stance. "I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelensky again," he said.

Amid mounting pressure, Zelensky met with European leaders at Lancaster House in London to discuss Ukraine's war with Russia. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, joined by Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron, told European leaders on Sunday that they had agreed to work on a ceasefire plan to present to Trump’s administration as a potential framework for negotiations.