DISINFO: The US will choose the next Ukrainian president
SUMMARY
The United States manages the political affairs of Ukraine. The White House will choose the next president of the Kyiv regime and manage the electoral process. Zelenskyy has no authority over the internal affairs of Ukraine.
RESPONSE
The claim above is part of a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the statehood of Ukraine. The narrative is aimed at undermining Ukraine's sovereignty and portraying the country as controlled by the US, or more generally the West. This follows the classic pro-Kremlin narrative about Lost sovereignty.
Ukraine is a democracy, where Ukrainian citizens elect their president in competitive elections every 5 years. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected in 2019, in a presidential election that was competitive and held with respect for fundamental freedoms, according to the OSCE.
In February 2021, the Biden administration expressed support for both Ukraine's democratically chosen political path and the country's territorial integrity through a peaceful settlement of the Eastern Ukrainian conflict. Furthermore, there is no evidence to suggest that the US is working on "replacing" the Ukrainian President.
For more disinformation cases from pro-Kremlin media involving the US and Ukraine, click here. See also specific cases that the US plans to overthrow Zelenskyy in a new Maidan, that Zelenskyy might end up in Guantanamo after US policy changes, the West will get rid of Zelenskyy and blame it on Russia, Zelensky's US mentors will replace him with Klitschko, and the US will replace Zelenskyy with Poroshenko.