"Replacement demanded"

Selenskyj: “It won’t be easy to replace me”

Following the scandal in the White House, President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated that he was prepared to resign - but only under certain conditions.(Bild: Viennareport)

"He should come back when he's ready for peace." With these words, US President Donald Trump ended the dispute with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi that broke out in front of the world public in the White House. Republicans are already more or less openly calling for Zelensky to be "replaced". The latter emphasized on Sunday after the summit with European allies: "It will not be easy to replace me."

"In view of what is happening and in view of the support, it won't be that easy. It's not enough to simply hold an election. I would also have to be prevented from running, which would be a little more difficult," said Selenskyj, who also confirmed that he would be prepared to step down if Ukraine became a member of NATO in return. Then he would have "fulfilled his mission".

Volodymyr Zelensky with his European allies Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer, Justin Trudeau, Giorgia Meloni and António Costa at the special summit in London(Bild: APA/AP)

"... then we have a real problem"
Trump's security advisor Mike Waltz says on CNN: "We need a leader who can negotiate with us and eventually with the Russians and end this war." "And if it turns out that President Zelensky's personal or political motives are different from ending the fighting in this country, then I think we have a real problem." 

Following the scandal in the White House, President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated that he would be willing to resign - but only under certain conditions.(Bild: Viennareport)

The Republican majority leader in the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, told NBC: "Either he comes to his senses and gratefully returns to the negotiating table or someone else has to lead the country and do it." 

Russian decoy drones
The Russian military again launched swarms of drones at targets in Ukraine on Sunday evening. According to Ukrainian media reports and air defense officials, the drone units were spotted over various parts of the country. The majority of the unmanned aerial vehicles were fended off, according to Ukrainian sources.

Recently, the Russian military has started to deploy numerous so-called decoy drones. These aircraft fly without explosives, simply to overload the Ukrainian air defenses and force them to waste valuable ammunition.