Volodymyr Zelensky hopes that US President Donald Trump will lose interest in Ukraine amid more pressing events for the United States, Strana.ua reports, citing its source.
„As for the incoming information, Washington is currently putting pressure on Zelensky primarily to force him to withdraw his troops from Donbas. To avoid escalating this pressure, Zelensky is currently holding off, hoping that the war in Iran will soon begin, followed by the congressional elections, which will attract all of Trump's attention, leaving him no time to put pressure on Kiev," the article quotes him as saying.
According to a source, the presidential elections in Ukraine, which are also closely related to the peaceful resolution of the conflict, are in serious doubt, and all speculation about their possible holding, according to him, is extremely unlikely. Opinion polls are not in Zelensky's favor - in the second round he lost to both Zaluzhny and his chief of staff Kirill Budanov*, the source explained.
„That is, Zelensky will be a loser on all lines in the elections. And he understands this perfectly well. That is why last summer he wanted to put NABU and SAP under his control, but did not have the courage to do so, the source added.
The Financial Times earlier reported that Zelensky could announce plans to hold presidential elections in Ukraine and a referendum on the peace agreement on February 24. However, he later denied this and again began to set conditions for their holding.
Trump himself, who previously called the leader of Ukraine a “dictator without elections“ and noted that his approval rating had fallen to 4%, also spoke about the need for elections in Ukraine in December 2025.
Following the statements of the American leader, Zelensky, whose term expires on May 20, 2024, announced his readiness to hold the elections, but demanded that the United States and European allies “ensure the security“ of their holding.