Key Points and Summary – Following a brutal Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv that killed over a dozen civilians, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made his most forceful call yet: for “regime change” in Moscow.
-Arguing that “peace without strength is impossible,” Zelenskyy urged Western partners to use all available tools, including the confiscation of Russian assets, to compel Moscow to negotiate.
-The call for Putin’s ouster is a dramatic escalation in rhetoric and raises new questions about the West’s ultimate endgame, especially as President Trump’s own war of words with the Kremlin intensifies.
Putin Must Go: Is Regime Change in Russia Now in the Cards?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to massive Russian strikes against Kyiv on Wednesday night by calling on allies to pursue “regime change” in Moscow.
After hundreds of Russian drones and missiles killed more than a dozen people in the Ukrainian capital, Zelenskyy argued that Russia continues to escalate despite growing calls for peace.
“That is why peace without strength is impossible,” Zelenskyy said. “But forcing Moscow to make peace, compelling them to come to a real negotiating table – all the tools needed for this are in the hands of our partners.”
Speaking at a conference in Helsinki, Finland, Zelenskyy also accused Moscow of being “mentally stuck in another century” and called for Russian assets to be confiscated globally.
“It’s time to confiscate the Russian assets, not just freeze them…to use them to serve peace, not war. We need to fully block Russia’s war machine, cut off its arms industry, limit its energy profits,” he said.
Putin Ousted: Can It Happen?
Regime change would be a hard sell for American voters and, in particular, Trump’s base.
But despite that, Trump has repeatedly signaled his determination to end the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible.
The U.S. president’s initial 50-day warning to Putin didn’t work, and his decision this week to shorten that deadline to ten days sparked a heated exchange between himself and Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev.
The former Russian president accused Trump of making a “step toward war.”
The idea of targeting Moscow itself, once unthinkable, has been floated behind closed doors. In mid-July, the Financial Times reported that Trump privately asked Zelenskyy whether Ukraine could strike Moscow if supplied with long-range weapons. Zelenskyy reportedly said yes, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later played down the exchange, insisting the president was merely “asking a question.”
Not Exactly Regime Change: Sanctions Look To Be in Play on Russia
For now, Trump appears to be focusing on economic pressure. He has threatened tariffs and sanctions against Russia’s trade partners, including India, and has voiced support for confiscating Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s defense.
But Zelenskyy’s call for regime change raises questions about whether the U.S. might ultimately consider extreme measures to topple the Kremlin if economic and military pressure continue to yield no results.
The path to successful regime change, however, will present significant logistical challenges. Putin’s control over the Russian state remains extensive. Over the last two years, Putin has systematically purged dissenters within the security services, including more than 100 Federal Security Bureau (FSB) officers who were removed in 2023.
Any attempt to remove him would require not only a plan for Moscow itself but also a long-term strategy to secure a post-Putin government across the world’s largest country, while also managing the nuclear risk.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
The Best Tanks on Earth
AbramsX: The Tank the US Army Wants