Trump camp connects with Zelensky rivals amid election talk
The portal Politico reported that four individuals from the circle of 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. The discussions reportedly concerned the organization of presidential elections in Ukraine.
According to Politico, Donald Trump's advisors believe that Zelensky is likely to lose the presidential election because Ukrainians are weary of the ongoing three-year war with Russia and are frustrated with the pervasive corruption in the country.
Trump's associates met with Zelensky's opponents
Meanwhile, the latest survey by the British agency Survation, conducted after Zelensky's meeting with Trump at the White House on February 28, indicates that if Ukraine changes its laws regarding the organization of elections during wartime, Zelensky would take the lead with 44 percent support. Ukraine's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, would take second place at 21 percent, followed by Poroshenko in third place at 10 percent. Tymoshenko would receive 5.7 percent support.
Politico reminded readers that, according to the official stance of the U.S. administration, Trump does not interfere in Ukraine's internal politics. This week, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick denied that the U.S. president is "meddling in Ukrainian politics," stating that Trump only wishes to find the right partner for peace talks.
The portal assessed that "the behavior of Trump and his officials suggests quite the opposite." This is demonstrated, among other things, by the U.S. president's statement that Zelensky is a "dictator without elections." The Kremlin also pushes for early elections in Ukraine.
Both Tymoshenko and Poroshenko have publicly opposed conducting elections before the end of the conflict. Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, expressed a similar opinion. "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 an anonymous leading Republican foreign policy expert to Politico.
Tymoshenko's spokesperson did not comment on meetings with the Americans. Politico contacted the European Solidarity party, led by Poroshenko, for a comment. 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.
