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Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the Ukrainian authorities have a ready plan in case of the assassination of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Ukrainians have plans that I won’t talk about or go into any detail about to make sure that somehow there is what we would call ‘government continuity’. And let me stop there,” Blinken said on CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday.
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Blinken added that Zelenskiy’s leadership after Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine was “remarkable.”
“The leadership shown by President Zelensky, demonstrated by the entire government, is remarkable. They were the epitome of this incredibly brave Ukrainian people,” Blinken said.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken speaks at a press conference in Brussels on March 4, 2022. (Olivier Duleri, pool photo via AP)
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According to the constitution of Ukraine, the chairman of the parliament replaces the president if something happens to the president during his tenure. Ruslan Stefanchuk is the chairman of the parliament, known as the Rada.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signs an application for Ukraine’s membership in the European Union on February 28, 2022, in this photo published by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Blinken’s remarks came after reports surfaced that U.S. and allied officials were debating a line of presidential succession in the event Zelensky was killed or captured.
U.S. officials have reportedly urged Ukrainians not to allow high-ranking officials to stay in the same place for long periods of time and move outside the country’s capital, The New York Times reported, citing a person briefed on the conversations.
Zelenskiy remained in Kyiv during the invasion and dispelled Friday rumors that he had fled the country.
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The US and allied nations would also like Ukrainian officials to establish a place for leadership outside of Kyiv, according to many officials quoted by The New York Times. The presidential residence in the Carpathians was considered as an option, but Ukrainian officials did not say if there were air raid shelters and other security measures there.
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Ukrainian officials said last week that Zelenskiy had already managed to avoid one assassination attempt, which was planned to be carried out by a group of elite Chechen special forces.