Ukraine has ‘plans in place’ to ensure ‘continuity of government one way or another’ if Zelensky dies, Blinken says

• Antony Blinken said Ukraine has a plan for “continuity of government” should President Volodymyr Zelensky die.
• Blinken, the US Secretary of State, did not elaborate on the plan on CBS News on Sunday.
• Zelensky has been on the front lines in the war with Russia, despite attempts on his life by Russian forces.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that Ukraine has a plan in place should President Volodymyr Zelensky die in the conflict with Russia. 

Zelensky has been on the front lines of the Ukrainian defense against Russia, despite reports of at least one assassination attempt and an attack near his presidential residence. 

“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 Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation” on CBS News. 

A Ukrainian security and defense chief said last week that Ukrainian forces had thwarted an assassination plot against Zelensky with help from members of Russia’s security services.

Later in the week, Zelensky taunted Russians after a top aide claimed what appeared to be a missile fragment fell near the presidential residence in Kyiv. After Ukrainian Press Secretary Sergii Nykyforov posted on Facebook that an apparent piece of a missile was found near the presidential residence, Zelensky responded: “Missed.”

Blinken did not elaborate on Ukrainian plans in the event of Zelensky’s death, but he did say that the world needs to be prepared for this conflict to last “for some time” despite sanctions against Russia from Western countries. Russia first invaded Ukraine on February 24. 

Since the initial attack, Russia has claimed the major city of Kherson as well as a nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian officials and human rights groups have accused Russia of war crimes, alleging Putin’s forces are bombarding civilian populations.

“We continue to see President Putin doubling down and digging in on this aggression against Ukraine. That’s continuing. I think we have to be prepared, unfortunately, tragically, for this to go on for some time,” Blinken said on Sunday.