Why does Russian President Vladimir Putin see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s removal as non-negotiable even if Russia gets territory?…
Short version: For Putin, this war was never really about square kilometers. It’s about who controls Kyiv’s politics.
The war’s original goal was regime change, not just land. Multiple analyses point out that Russia’s main condition, even if not stated in draft agreements, is “nothing short of regime change in Kyiv”. Territorial gains matter to the Kremlin, but they don’t solve Putin’s core problem: a Western-oriented, democratic Ukraine on Russia’s border.
Carnegie puts it bluntly: “Demanding a change in the Ukrainian leadership is a question of Putin’s external and internal political prestige — as well as an opportunity to exert control over the sovereignty of Ukraine, which was the original goal of the war”. The removal of Zelensky is called “a non-negotiable condition for the Kremlin, even if it gets Sloviansk and Kramatorsk”.
Zelensky as a symbol. From Moscow’s view, Zelensky embodies 3 things Putin sees as threats:
■ Democratic legitimacy: He was elected in 2019, ousting a pro-Russian incumbent. That’s the kind of political transition the Kremlin fears at home.
■ Western alignment: Under Zelensky, Ukraine pushed hard for EU/NATO integration. Russia views NATO expansion as a military, economic, and political threat.
■ Resistance narrative: Insisting on Zelensky’s resignation sends “a clear signal that the Kremlin would like to send to all its neighbors: even if you manage to put up some resistance, you will ultimately pay the price — including on a personal level”.
Putin framed the invasion as “denazification” and freeing Ukraine from a “junta.” Letting Zelensky stay, even after territorial concessions, would look like a loss to Russian elites and the public. As Carnegie notes, the war continues “as long as Putin is in power” and he won’t make concessions even amid crisis — political change would have to come first.
That’s why analysts say Putin “cannot accept any peace deal that secures Ukrainian statehood” under current leadership. Land is divisible. Political orientation isn’t. 🇺🇦🇷🇺