Trump allies engage with Zelensky's rivals amid election buzz
Four individuals associated with U.S. President Donald Trump met with political opponents of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, including former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and former President Petro Poroshenko, as reported by the portal Politico. It is said that the discussions revolved around conducting presidential elections in Ukraine.
According to Politico, Donald Trump's advisors believe that Zelensky would lose the presidential election as Ukrainians have grown weary of the ongoing three-year war with Russia and are exasperated by the corruption prevalent in the country.
Trump's associates met with Zelensky's opponents
Meanwhile, the latest survey by the British agency Survation, conducted following Zelensky's meeting with Trump at the White House on 28 February, indicates that if Ukraine amended its laws to allow elections during wartime, Zelensky would secure first place with 44% support. Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, would take second place (21%), with Poroshenko in third (10%). Tymoshenko would receive 5.7% support.
Politico recalled that, according to the official position of the U.S. administration, Trump does not interfere in Ukraine's internal politics. This week, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick denied any "meddling in Ukrainian politics" by the U.S. president, adding that Trump merely seeks the right partner for peace talks.
The portal assessed that "the behaviour of Trump and his officials suggests precisely the opposite." This is demonstrated by, among other things, the U.S. president’s comment labelling Zelensky a "dictator without elections." It was highlighted that the Kremlin is also pushing the idea of early elections in Ukraine.
Both Tymoshenko and Poroshenko publicly opposed conducting elections before the end of the conflict. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, expressed a similar stance. "Poroshenko’s people and Yulia, they’re all talking to Trump World, positioning themselves as people who would be easier to work with. And people who would consent to many of the things that Zelenskyy is not agreeing to," said a leading Republican foreign policy expert anonymously to Politico.
Tymoshenko's spokesperson did not comment on meetings with Americans. Politico contacted the European Solidarity party, led by Poroshenko, for a statement. The press office stated: "Our narrative is not to push for elections but to secure free and fair competitive post-war elections in our country."
The Ukrainian constitution prohibits conducting elections under martial law conditions.
