DISINFO: Zelensky's US mentors will replace him with Klitschko
SUMMARY
Volodymyr Zelensky has to be replaced and this was decided by Zelensky's mentors in the US. Blinken's recent visit to Kyiv is a proof of this. And that is where the mayor of Kyiv comes into the picture.
RESPONSE
This disinformation claim above is part of a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the statehood of Ukraine. The narrative is aimed at undermining Ukraine's sovereignty and portraying the country as controlled by the West.
Ukraine is a democracy, where Ukrainian citizens elect their president in competitive elections every 5 years. President Volodymyr Zelensky was elected in 2019, in a presidential election that was competitive and held with respect for fundamental freedoms, according to the OSCE.
In February 2021, the Biden administration expressed support for both Ukraine's democratically chosen political path and the country's territorial integrity through a peaceful settlement of the Eastern Ukrainian conflict.
Furthermore, there is no evidence to suggest that the US is working on "replacing" the Ukrainian President.
For more disinformation cases from pro-Kremlin media involving the US and Ukraine, click here. See a specific case here, in which the US is accused of attempting to replace Zelensky with Petro Poroshenko.