Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky predicted on Wednesday that the Russia-Ukraine War would end with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s death, which he suggested would happen soon.
In an interview with European broadcasters, Zelensky pleaded with the United States to “stay strong” during negotiations with the Kremlin as Putin’s remaining time is allegedly short. Kyiv has long suggested that the Russian president is dying from cancer.
“Putin will die soon. That’s a fact, and then it will be over,” Zelensky declared, referring to the war. “He might even be finished before he… let’s say, finishes his safe, failed historical life.”
“Putin will die soon, that’s a fact. And then it will all be over.”
— Zelensky pic.twitter.com/kuH2fSkJnV— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) March 26, 2025
He argued that Putin’s apparent imminent death means the U.S. and West shouldn’t come to peace terms now, but instead support Ukraine to wait him out.
“It is very important that America does not help Putin to get out of this global isolation now,” Zelensky said.
Ukrainian authorities have been predicting Putin’s imminent death for years, claiming he has cancer and/or other undisclosed diseases. Ukrainian Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov expressed the most confidence in these views, claiming in January 2023 that it was certain the Russian president would die “very soon.”
“He has been sick for a long time; I am sure he has cancer. I think he will die very quickly. I hope very soon,” he said. “We just know it – from people, from sources,” he continued, citing alleged sources inside the Kremlin.
In the same interview, he said the war would end in a Ukrainian victory before the end of 2023. In September of that year, he claimed the real Putin was last seen on June 26, 2022, and that body doubles had been standing in for him publicly since. He speculated that the president might be dead.
Zelensky also speculated that Putin may be dead in January 2023.
The speculations aren’t new or exclusive to Ukrainian officials. An article from CEPA found that public predictions of Putin’s imminent or actual death or terminal illness have been circulating since he took power in 2000. An analysis from the Atlantic in 2005 claimed he had a stroke and was dying.
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None of these predictions have come to pass.
Zelensky’s newest death prediction is his most overt yet and could complicate negotiations with the Kremlin. The Trump administration has been pushing for a ceasefire, attempting to play a neutral third party in negotiations.