Photo: Yulia Tymoshenko/Facebook
Washington is stepping up pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while his political opponents are holding secret meetings with Donald Trump’s team. According to Politico, four key Trump allies have organised secret talks in Kyiv with Batkivshchyna leader Yulia Tymoshenko and representatives of Petro Poroshenko’s political party.
According to the sources, the talks concerned the possibility of holding early presidential elections in Ukraine, which have been postponed due to martial law. Zelenskyy’s opponents expect that elections amid war fatigue and corruption scandals could weaken the incumbent’s position.
However, despite his efforts, Zelenskyy’s ratings remain high. According to the latest survey by the British company Survation, after a loud spat in the White House, in which Zelenskyy was accused of being unwilling to compromise, his support reached 44%. His closest rival, former Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, has half that. Poroshenko is supported by only 10%, and Tymoshenko by 5.7%.
The Trump administration officially denies interfering in Ukraine’s domestic politics. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lighthizer noted that the United States “seeks peace, not regime change.” However, Trump’s own loud statements that Zelenskyy is a “dictator without elections”, as well as accusations by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard of allegedly cancelling the elections in Kyiv, only fuel tensions.
Despite talk of a possible election, Zelenskyy remains the most popular politician in Ukraine, and attempts to oust him seem unlikely, even with the support of international actors.
