The world should push for “regime change” in Russia – Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that the world should push for “regime change” in Russia, arguing that President Vladimir Putin otherwise would continue to destabilise Russia’s neighbours.

His remarks came at a conference hosted by Finland, marking 50 years since the signing of the “Helsinki Final Act,” a document meant to improve relations between Cold War adversaries.

“I believe Russia can be pushed to stop this war. It started it, and it can be made to end it,” Zelensky told the conference in an online address.

“But if the world doesn’t aim to change the regime in Russia, that means even after the war ends, Moscow will still try to destabilise neighbouring countries,” he added.

The Ukrainian head of state also said it was time to put frozen Russian assets to work against Russia.

“We need to fully block Russia’s war machine … put every frozen Russian asset, including the stolen wealth of corruption to work defending against Russian aggression,” Zelensky said.

“It’s time to confiscate Russian assets, not just freeze them, confiscate them and use them to serve peace, not war,” he added.

Zelensky had been invited to attend the Helsinki conference in person but gave his address remotely.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said last week that Russia would be participating but would not be sending any high-level representatives to the meeting.

On August 1, 1975, the Eastern and Western blocs signed the Helsinki Final Act in the Finnish capital.

The historic agreement between 35 states, including the Soviet Union and the United States, led to the creation of the OSCE, which today brings together 57 countries.

– Inviolability of borders –

Among the key principles enshrined in the agreement are state sovereignty, non-use of force, and above all, the inviolability of borders.

“The participating States regard as inviolable all one another’s frontiers as well as the frontiers of all States in Europe and therefore they will refrain now and in the future from assaulting these frontiers,” the text of the treaty reads.

These commitments have been gravely challenged since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which has caused the most severe crisis in OSCE history.

“One of Putin’s main ideas, now it’s mainstream in Russia … that its border are wherever it wants them to be,” Zelensky said Thursday.

Kyiv has unsuccessfully demanded that Russia be excluded from the OSCE.

However, in July 2024, Russian lawmakers earlier voted to suspend participation in the body’s parliamentary assembly, branding it anti-Russian and discriminatory, although the country is still listed as a member state on the organisation’s official website.

Finland shut its 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) eastern border with Russia in mid-December 2023 after the arrival of around 1,000 migrants without visas.

Helsinki has claimed the surge was orchestrated by Russia — a charge the Kremlin has denied.