Zelensky to West: Remove Putin or Face More War

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on global powers to push for regime change in Russia, insisting that President Vladimir Putin’s rule remains a threat even if the war in Ukraine ends.

Zelensky made the explosive remarks on Thursday, July 31, during an online address to a conference in Finland.

The gathering marked 50 years since the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, a Cold War-era accord meant to promote peace between rival blocs.

According to him, while it’s possible to force Russia to end the war, the world must go further.

“I believe Russia can be pushed to stop this war. It started it, and it can be made to end it,” Zelensky declared.

“But if the world doesn’t aim to change the regime in Russia, then even after the war ends, Moscow will continue destabilizing its neighbors.”

Zelensky didn’t stop there. He also urged Western governments to move beyond freezing Russian assets.

Instead, he pushed for the full confiscation of Russian wealth especially funds tied to corruption.

“We need to fully block Russia’s war machine. Put every frozen Russian asset especially the stolen wealth of corruption to work defending against Russian aggression,” he said. “It’s time to confiscate, not just freeze. Use it for peace, not war.”

Zelensky had originally received an invitation to attend the event in person but opted to deliver his message virtually.

Meanwhile, Russia chose to take a back seat at the event.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed that Moscow would participate in the summit but would not send any high-level officials.

The conference comes at a time of deep crisis within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which emerged from the original Helsinki agreement signed on August 1, 1975. That pact emphasized principles such as sovereignty, peaceful borders, and non-aggression.

However, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 shattered those commitments.

Zelensky highlighted this contradiction on Thursday, slamming Putin’s ideology.

“One of Putin’s main ideas now it’s mainstream in Russia is that its borders are wherever it wants them to be,” he stated.

Although Kyiv has repeatedly urged the OSCE to kick Russia out, the organization has not yet complied.

In July 2024, Russian lawmakers chose to suspend their role in the OSCE’s parliamentary assembly. They claimed the body had become “anti-Russian” and biased.

However, Russia still appears as a member state on the OSCE’s official website.

Meanwhile, Finland one of Russia’s key neighbors took decisive action late last year.

In December 2023, Finnish authorities closed their 1,340-kilometre border with Russia after about 1,000 undocumented migrants arrived.

Helsinki accused Moscow of orchestrating the surge, though the Kremlin denied the claim.

Zelensky’s bold address has once again put the spotlight on Russia’s global role and the uncertain future of diplomacy in Eastern Europe.

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