Zelensky: Only Regime Change Can Stop Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the international community to pursue regime change in Russia, warning that without a shift in leadership, Moscow will continue to undermine the stability of its neighboring countries even after the current war ends.

Zelensky delivered these pointed remarks in a remote address to a high-level conference held in Finland on Thursday.

The day marked the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, a landmark Cold War-era agreement designed to promote peace and cooperation between rival blocs.

“Russia must be forced to end this war. It started the aggression, and it can be made to stop,” Zelensky told the gathering.

“But if the world does not seek to change the regime in Russia, then even after the war ends, Moscow will persist in destabilizing its neighbors.”

He also urged the West to take stronger financial action against Russia, emphasizing that frozen Russian assets should be seized and used to counter the Kremlin’s military aggression.

“We need to go beyond freezing assets. It’s time to confiscate them,” Zelensky said.

“Every frozen Russian fund and every bit of wealth stolen through corruption should be repurposed to defend peace, not fuel war.”

The Ukrainian leader had originally been invited to attend the Helsinki event in person but chose to speak virtually instead.

The conference was convened to commemorate the 1975 Helsinki Final Act.

This is a foundational document that established guiding principles for peace, sovereignty, and territorial integrity in Europe.

The agreement, signed by 35 countries including the Soviet Union and the United States, laid the groundwork for the formation of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Today, the organization includes 57 member states.

Among the most critical commitments enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act are respect for national borders, non-interference in internal affairs, and the renunciation of the use of force.

Zelensky used the occasion to highlight how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has shattered those very principles, plunging the OSCE into its most severe crisis since its inception.

“One of Putin’s central ideas, now widely accepted in Russia, is that its borders are wherever it wants them to be,” Zelensky stated.

His comment was directly challenging Russia’s territorial ambitions and its justification for the war.

Despite Kyiv’s appeals to exclude Russia from the OSCE, Moscow remains a member, although its role in the organization has been shrinking.

In July 2024, Russian lawmakers voted to suspend their participation in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

They called the body biased and anti-Russian.

Nonetheless, Russia remains officially listed as a member on the organization’s website.

Russia had minimal presence at the Helsinki anniversary event, with foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirming earlier that no senior officials would be in attendance.

Tensions between Russia and Finland have also escalated in recent months.

In December 2023, Finland closed its 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia after nearly 1,000 undocumented migrants crossed over without proper visas.

Helsinki accused the Kremlin of orchestrating the influx in retaliation for Finland’s decision to join NATO, a move that Russia strongly opposed.

The Kremlin, however, denied any involvement in directing the migration flow.

Zelensky’s remarks come at a critical juncture in both the war and international diplomacy.

His call for confiscating Russian assets has been echoed by some Western officials but remains legally complex and politically sensitive.

This is particularly among European nations wary of setting a precedent.

His push for regime change in Russia marks one of the clearest and most forceful articulations of a broader strategic goal.

It is not just stopping the war, but fundamentally altering the political landscape that fuels it.

As the Helsinki Final Act’s anniversary underscores the importance of sovereign borders and peaceful coexistence, Zelensky’s message served as a stark reminder.

It is a reminder that those ideals remain under siege, and that stronger international resolve may be necessary to defend them.

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook