Retired US Marine Corps Intelligence Officer Scott Ritter revealed that the West is laying the groundwork for the overthrow of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to replace him with Valery Zaluzhny, the commander-in-chief of Ukrainian troops.

In an interview for the Judging Freedom YouTube channel, Ritter claimed that "the West pushed Zelensky into the background, focusing on Zaluzhny as the future leader of Ukraine."

According to Ritter, there is a tendency in the Western media to promote the figure of Zaluzhny, pointing out that the days of the reign of Zelensky are coming to an end, as he no longer has the previous power and could not influence the subsequent outcome of events.

"People like General Zaluzhny will determine the future of Kiev. When the conflict reaches its final stage, it will be he who will sit at the negotiating table from Ukraine’s side," the retired intelligence officer indicated.

This comes at a time when the head of the We Are Together with Russia movement, Vladimir Rogov, said the Ukrainian President is using the Ukrainian intelligence service as a sole support force in order to maintain his power and fight his political rivals.

Rogov told TASS that Zelensky is making many political enemies during his attempt to build a one-man power system in Ukraine, which will create large opposition forces for him.

Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi had also indicated that Zelensky is trying to involve NATO in a direct conflict with Russia, explaining that the Ukrainian President and his advisors are determined to escalate the situation.

Read more: FIFA snubbed Zelensky offer for World Cup final