Ukraine

Ukrainian leaders have 'continuity of government' plan if Zelenskyy is killed: Blinken

Blinken praised Zelenskyy's leadership since the Russian invasion as 'remarkable'

By Emma Colton Fox News
Published

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ukrainian officials have a plan ready in the event President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is killed. 

"The Ukrainians have plans in place that I'm not going to talk about or get into any details on to make sure that there is what we would call 'continuity of government' one way or another. And let me leave it at that," Blinken told CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday. 

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Blinken added that Zelenksyy’s leadership since Russia invaded Ukraine Feb. 24 has been "remarkable."

"The leadership that President Zelensky has shown, the entire government has shown, is remarkable. They’ve been the embodiment of these incredibly brave Ukrainian people," Blinken said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a media conference in Brussels March 4, 2022. (Olivier Douliery, Pool Photo via AP)

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Under Ukraine's constitution, the chair of the parliament succeeds the president if anything should happen to the president while in office. Ruslan Stefanchuk serves as chairman of the parliament, known as the Rada. 

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signs an application for membership of Ukraine in the European Union Feb 28, 2022, in this photo released by Parliament of Ukraine.  (Reuters )

Blinken’s remarks come after a report surfaced that U.S. officials and allied nations have been discussing the line of presidential succession in case Zelenskyy is killed or captured. 

U.S. officials have reportedly urged Ukrainians not to allow senior officials to remain in the same place for long periods of time and to move to locations outside the nation’s capital, The New York Times reported, citing a person briefed on the conversations.

Zelenskyy has remained in Kyiv during the invasion and dispelled rumors Friday he fled the country. 

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A Ukrainian serviceman stands guard as children, teenagers and their parents carry their belongings to buses as they leave Kyiv's central children's hospital March 5, 2022, for evacuation to Poland and Germany. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)

Injured Ukrainian men gather after crossing the Irpin River fleeing the area in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, March 5, 2022.   (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Ukrainian soldiers travel on an armored military vehicle in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine March 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Ukrainian paramedics cover a grave of colleague Valentyna Pushych, who was killed by Russian troops, with their country's flag at a cemetery in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 5, 2022.  (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

The U.S. and allied nations would also like to see Ukrainian officials establish a location for leadership outside Kyiv, according to multiple officials cited by The New York Times. A presidential retreat in the Carpathian Mountains has been floated as an option, but Ukranian officials have not said whether the location has bomb shelters and other safety measures. 

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Ukrainian officials said last week that Zelenskyy has already avoided one assassination attempt that was intended to be carried out by a group of elite Chechen special forces.

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