Zelensky Calls for Regime Change in Russia, Demands Seizure of Russian Assets

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued one of his strongest appeals yet for a fundamental shift in international policy toward Russia, calling on global leaders to actively support regime change in Moscow. His remarks come amid ongoing Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and growing debate over how to use frozen Russian assets to aid Kyiv’s defense and post-war recovery.

Zelensky made the appeal on Thursday during a virtual address to a conference in Helsinki marking the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, a landmark diplomatic agreement signed in 1975 by 35 nations, including the former Soviet Union—that enshrined the principles of territorial integrity, peaceful coexistence, and the inviolability of national borders.

“Russia can be made to end this war. It started it, and it can be stopped,” Zelensky said. “But unless the world is prepared to pursue a change of regime in Russia, the threat will persist, even after the war ends. Moscow will continue to undermine its neighbors, violate international norms, and export instability”.

The Ukrainian president’s comments mark a notable escalation in rhetoric, as most Western allies have so far stopped short of advocating openly for regime change in Russia, focusing instead on military and economic pressure to deter aggression.

Confiscation of Assets to Fund Peace

Zelensky also renewed his call for the full confiscation, not merely freezing, of Russian assets held abroad. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Western nations have frozen an estimated $300 billion in Russian central bank reserves, along with billions more in assets tied to sanctioned oligarchs and state entities.

“We must fully dismantle Russia’s war machine,” Zelensky said. “Every frozen Russian asset, including the wealth looted through decades of corruption, should be used to defend against Russian aggression and rebuild what’s been destroyed. It’s time to move beyond freezing. Confiscate these assets and redirect them to serve peace, not war.”

His statement follows a deadly Russian missile barrage earlier this week that killed dozens and struck civilian infrastructure in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro. The attacks have reignited calls among Ukrainian officials and human rights groups for a more aggressive legal mechanism to repurpose frozen Russian wealth for reparations and humanitarian support.

Mixed International Response

While some Baltic and Eastern European states have supported the idea of asset confiscation, larger economies like Germany and France have expressed legal reservations, fearing retaliation, breaches of international financial norms, and long-term damage to the global financial system.