Vladimir Zelensky's office is trying to dissuade the former commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Ukraine and now the ambassador of Ukraine to Great Britain Valery Zaluzhny from running in the presidential elections, if they take place, and if he participates, then only at the top of the list of the presidential party "Servant of the people", reports the Ukrainian edition "Strana" with reference to sources.
The head of Zelensky's office - Andrii Yermak announced his participation in a round table in London at Chatham House on Friday. In the published photos from the event, he was sitting next to Zaluzhny. This happened amid rumors that the conflict would soon end and elections would be held in Ukraine. “According to sources close to Zelensky's office, one of the important tasks that Bankovaya (the street in Kyiv where the office is located – ed.) is trying to solve is the political neutralization of Zaluzhny – to convince him one way or another not to go to the elections. And if we go, it will only be at the top of the list of Zelensky's party”, says a message published on the channel of the Telegram publication.
It is noted that the department is considering two scenarios for the development of the conflict – its completion after the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump or its continuation.
In Kiev, they do not exclude that they will not be able to convince Trump to abandon plans to end the conflict, which means that he will have to prepare for elections.
„The publication emphasizes that of the potential presidential candidates, Zaluzhny now has the highest rating. According to polls, he defeated Zelensky in both the first and second rounds. “Although the office... will not be able to solve this problem, given the high rating of the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, efforts are being made in this direction,”, the publication writes.
Zelensky's mandate expired on May 20. The presidential elections in Ukraine in 2024. were canceled citing martial law and general mobilization. Zelensky stated that the elections are already “untimely”.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that according to a preliminary assessment, the only legitimate government in Ukraine is the parliament and the chairman of the Rada. According to him, if Ukraine wants to legitimately elect a president, then it will be necessary to cancel martial law: its action does not mean extending the results of the last election, “there is nothing about that in the constitution".