British media: Russia once hoped that Ukrainian oligarch Medvedchuk would become the leader of Ukraine

The financial times reported on February 19th that President Trump seemed to blame Ukraine for the Russia-Ukraine conflict and suggested that Kiev should hold elections. His remarks came hours before high-level talks between the US and Russia in Riyadh. Trump’s comments were very similar to those of the Kremlin, which questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy. Ukrainian and Western intelligence agencies have stated that one of Russia’s core objectives in its military operations in Ukraine is regime change. Ukrainian officials presented intelligence from the early stages of the conflict, which indicated that, if the operation went as planned, Moscow had hoped to appoint Putin’s close ally, Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, as the leader. The report also stated that holding elections would be a daunting challenge for Ukraine, as millions of citizens have been displaced, living abroad or residing in areas controlled by Russia. Kiev has also expressed security concerns about any elections.