Whispers in Washington are exploding into a political firestorm as a former Ukrainian prime minister claims U.S. officials have quietly spent six months interviewing Kyiv insiders—“auditioning” potential successors to Volodymyr Zelensky. The allegations land just as Ukraine is rocked by its biggest corruption scandal in years, a $100 million energy-kickback scheme striking at Zelensky’s closest circle and sparking outrage across Kyiv. With anti-corruption agencies defying pressure and foreign partners demanding answers, questions grow over whether Washington is losing confidence in Zelensky as Russia intensifies its winter offensive.
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