Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested on Wednesday that the United States should exert pressure on Russia by engaging in some form of operation to oust Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, similar to its actions against Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.

Speaking to reporters, Zelensky pointed out that the operation against Maduro demonstrated Washington’s capacity to influence Moscow if it truly wanted to, arguing that dethroning Kadyrov could prompt Russian President Vladimir Putin to reconsider his continued military aggression in Ukraine.

Last Saturday, U.S. special forces successfully extracted Maduro and his wife from Caracas, surprising allies and drawing criticism from Venezuela’s ally, Moscow.

Kadyrov, who has led Russia’s predominantly Muslim republic of Chechnya since 2007, is a staunch supporter of Putin and has dispatched thousands of troops to participate in the conflict in Ukraine.

“They must apply pressure on Russia. They possess the necessary tools and know how to use them. When they truly intend to, they can make it happen,” Zelensky stated regarding the United States.

“Take the example of Maduro. They executed an operation… The entire world witnessed the result. They acted swiftly. Let them perform a similar operation concerning — what’s his name — Kadyrov,” he remarked.

A few hours after the U.S. moved to capture Maduro, Zelensky humorously suggested that Putin himself should also be a target.

“If it’s possible to do that with dictators, then the United States knows the next steps to take,” he said during a press conference in Kyiv over the weekend, chuckling and smiling.

Ukraine, under siege from a large-scale Russian invasion for nearly four years, has repeatedly asserted that its allies, including the United States, have not exerted sufficient pressure on the Kremlin to end the conflict.

Kadyrov has maintained an iron grip on Chechnya for nearly two decades, continuously urging Moscow to employ extreme measures in Ukraine, including the suggestion of a nuclear strike.