diff --git a/pkg/zones/wellknown.go b/pkg/zones/wellknown.go
index c84f264bdc..1908b749a0 100644
--- a/pkg/zones/wellknown.go
+++ b/pkg/zones/wellknown.go
@@ -17,16 +17,10 @@ limitations under the License.
 package zones
 
 import (
-	"context"
 	"sort"
-	"strings"
 
-	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/aws"
-	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/service/ec2"
-	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/aws/endpoints"
 	"github.com/scaleway/scaleway-sdk-go/scw"
 	"k8s.io/kops/pkg/apis/kops"
-	"k8s.io/kops/upup/pkg/fi/cloudup/awsup"
 )
 
 // These lists allow us to infer from certain well-known zones to a cloud
@@ -170,6 +164,116 @@ var hetznerZones = []string{
 	"hil",
 }
 
+var awsZones = []string{
+	"af-south-1a",
+	"af-south-1b",
+	"af-south-1c",
+	"ap-east-1a",
+	"ap-east-1b",
+	"ap-east-1c",
+	"ap-northeast-1a",
+	"ap-northeast-1b",
+	"ap-northeast-1c",
+	"ap-northeast-1d",
+	"ap-northeast-2a",
+	"ap-northeast-2b",
+	"ap-northeast-2c",
+	"ap-northeast-2d",
+	"ap-northeast-3a",
+	"ap-northeast-3b",
+	"ap-northeast-3c",
+	"ap-south-1a",
+	"ap-south-1b",
+	"ap-south-1c",
+	"ap-south-2a",
+	"ap-south-2b",
+	"ap-south-2c",
+	"ap-southeast-1a",
+	"ap-southeast-1b",
+	"ap-southeast-1c",
+	"ap-southeast-2a",
+	"ap-southeast-2b",
+	"ap-southeast-2c",
+	"ap-southeast-3a",
+	"ap-southeast-3b",
+	"ap-southeast-3c",
+	"ap-southeast-4a",
+	"ap-southeast-4b",
+	"ap-southeast-4c",
+	"ca-central-1a",
+	"ca-central-1b",
+	"ca-central-1c",
+	"ca-west-1a",
+	"ca-west-1b",
+	"ca-west-1c",
+	"eu-central-1a",
+	"eu-central-1b",
+	"eu-central-1c",
+	"eu-central-2a",
+	"eu-central-2b",
+	"eu-central-2c",
+	"eu-north-1a",
+	"eu-north-1b",
+	"eu-north-1c",
+	"eu-south-1a",
+	"eu-south-1b",
+	"eu-south-1c",
+	"eu-south-2a",
+	"eu-south-2b",
+	"eu-south-2c",
+	"eu-west-1a",
+	"eu-west-1b",
+	"eu-west-1c",
+	"eu-west-2a",
+	"eu-west-2b",
+	"eu-west-2c",
+	"eu-west-3a",
+	"eu-west-3b",
+	"eu-west-3c",
+	"il-central-1a",
+	"il-central-1b",
+	"il-central-1c",
+	"me-central-1a",
+	"me-central-1b",
+	"me-central-1c",
+	"me-south-1a",
+	"me-south-1b",
+	"me-south-1c",
+	"sa-east-1a",
+	"sa-east-1b",
+	"sa-east-1c",
+	"us-east-1a",
+	"us-east-1b",
+	"us-east-1c",
+	"us-east-1d",
+	"us-east-1e",
+	"us-east-1f",
+	"us-east-2a",
+	"us-east-2b",
+	"us-east-2c",
+	"us-west-1a",
+	"us-west-1b",
+	"us-west-1c",
+	"us-west-2a",
+	"us-west-2b",
+	"us-west-2c",
+	"us-west-2d",
+
+	"us-gov-east-1a",
+	"us-gov-east-1b",
+	"us-gov-east-1c",
+	"us-gov-west-1a",
+	"us-gov-west-1b",
+	"us-gov-west-1c",
+
+	"cn-north-1a",
+	"cn-north-1b",
+	"cn-north-1c",
+	"cn-northwest-1a",
+	"cn-northwest-1b",
+	"cn-northwest-1c",
+}
+
 var azureZones = []string{
 	"asia",
 	"asiapacific",
@@ -245,45 +349,10 @@ func scwZones() []string {
 }
 
 func WellKnownZonesForCloud(matchCloud kops.CloudProviderID, prefix string) []string {
-	ctx := context.Background()
-
 	var found []string
 	switch matchCloud {
 	case kops.CloudProviderAWS:
-		prefix = strings.ToLower(prefix)
-		for _, partition := range endpoints.DefaultResolver().(endpoints.EnumPartitions).Partitions() {
-			for _, region := range partition.Regions() {
-				regionName := strings.ToLower(region.ID())
-				if prefix == regionName || strings.HasPrefix(prefix, regionName+"-") {
-					// If the prefix is a region name or a Local Zone or a Wavelength Zone,
-					// return all its matching zones as the completion options.
-					awsCloud, err := awsup.NewAWSCloud(regionName, map[string]string{})
-					if err != nil {
-						continue
-					}
-					var zones *ec2.DescribeAvailabilityZonesOutput
-					zones, err = awsCloud.EC2().DescribeAvailabilityZones(ctx, &ec2.DescribeAvailabilityZonesInput{
-						AllAvailabilityZones: aws.Bool(true),
-					})
-					if err != nil {
-						continue
-					}
-					for _, zone := range zones.AvailabilityZones {
-						found = append(found, *zone.ZoneName)
-					}
-				} else if strings.HasPrefix(regionName, prefix) {
-					// Return the region name as the completion option. After the user completes
-					// that much, the code will then look up the specific zone options.
-					found = append(found, regionName)
-				} else {
-					// If the zone name is in the form of single-letter zones
-					// belonging to a region, that's good enough.
-					if len(prefix) == len(regionName)+1 && strings.HasPrefix(prefix, regionName) {
-						found = append(found, prefix)
-					}
-				}
-			}
-		}
+		found = awsZones
 	case kops.CloudProviderAzure:
 		found = azureZones
 	case kops.CloudProviderDO: