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According to the Washington Post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to step down in February in order to terminate Russia’s military action.
“I’m not trying to hold on to power. If it’s just a matter of me leaving and that will stop the bloodshed, then I’m all for it. I would leave right now. I didn’t get into politics for this, and I’ll leave when you say if it is stop the war,” Zelensky said.
According to the story, Zelensky also got pleas for keeping the status quo in place from US and European authorities. He was sometimes given assistance leaving the city. Officials thought he could avoid a power vacuum by insuring his own safety.
Zelenskiy also believed that some of his foreign associates only want a swift conclusion to the crisis, with his government essentially submitting to Russia.
“Of all those who called me, there was no one who believed that we would hold out,” Zelensky told reporters.