WASHINGTON, August 1. /TASS/. The Ukrainian authorities have developed a plan to ensure the succession of power in case of the death of President Vladimir Zelensky, the Politico newspaper has said, citing Ukrainian officials.
Under the Ukrainian constitution, should Zelensky be incapacitated, current Verkhovna Rada (parliament) Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk would step in to perform the duties of the president, the publication said. However, since he does not enjoy great popular authority, it is assumed that the presidential functions would be carried out by a group of political heavyweights surrounding Zelensky, such as Office of the President of Ukraine Head Andrey Yermak, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny.
Politico speculates that Zelensky's death could affect Kiev's Western allies, who have been "spellbound by Zelensky's charismatic appeal" and consider him "a symbol of what the West sees as a righteous fight." The West may move to put increased pressure on Kiev to commence negotiations, the publication said.
Earlier, the Ukrainian president himself urged that media reports about dozens of assassination attempts against him be discounted.
US writer and journalist Chris Whipple reported earlier, in his book Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden's White House, citing Ukrainian officials, that Zelensky had survived 12 attempts on his life since the beginning of the special military operation on February 24, 2022. Two of them, he said, were thwarted thanks to intelligence given to Zelensky by US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns during the latter’s visit to Kiev prior to the start of the special military operation.