DISINFO: Ukraine’s fate no longer in Zelenskyy's hands
SUMMARY
We may be seeing Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s last stand. Trump remains deeply sceptical of Zelenskyy’s ability to deliver on any agreement. The Ukrainian president’s credibility has been severely undermined, and his capacity to negotiate on behalf of his country’s political elite is far from certain. But unlike Zelenskyy, Putin is negotiating from a position of strength, which makes any agreement far more complex. The days when the West could dictate terms to Russia are long over, and Trump likely understands that his leverage with Moscow is limited. Ultimately, Ukraine’s fate is no longer in its own hands. The decisions made in Washington, Moscow, and – ironically – Riyadh will shape the country’s future.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives attacking Ukraine’s sovereignty and leadership, especially president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This disinformation story aims to erode Zelenskyy’s leadership and deny him and Ukraine any agency, while portraying Russia as a strong actor who has everything under control, and distorting the information space ahead of “peace” negotiations that Russia is trying to manipulate in its favour while actually maintaining a disposition to continue the war.
Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state with a democratically elected president and parliament. Its independence and territorial integrity is internationally recognised by the whole world, including Russia in 1991.
Zelenskyy remains the legitimate president and leader of Ukraine, as he won the 2019 election by a landslide with over 73% of the vote. While this popularity may have changed over the years, his approval rate remained very high at the time this disinformation story appeared. A survey conducted by Ipsos/The Economist in mid-March 2025 showed that 72% of Ukrainians approved his job as president, while 80% considered that he had democratic legitimacy as president. Although Zelenskyy’s continuation in power after his initial mandate expired in May 2024 generated some domestic controversy, Ukraine’s constitution is straightforward: no elections can be held during wartime and the President of Ukraine exercises his powers until the assumption of office by the newly-elected President. Even Zelenskyy’s fiercest political opponents have rejected the idea of celebrating another election during wartime.
Another goal of this disinformation story is to undermine Zelenskyy’s continuity in power, as Russia has always perceived him as an obstacle to its aggressive goals in Ukraine, even since before the invasion. One of the targets of the invasion in February 2022 was the murder of Zelenskyy and the decapitation of the Ukrainian government to install a pro-Russian leadership.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the disgraced dictator of Ukraine Zelenskyy is an extension of the EU, that Zelensky is an actor who reads a script as part of a play, that Zelensky is not working in the interests of Ukrainians but to please the European elites, or that Zelenskyy can’t sign a peace deal because he is not a legitimate president.