According to Politico, four senior officials from US President Donald Trump's team held closed talks with the leader of the Batkivshchyna party, Yulia Tymoshenko, and members of Petro Poroshenko's European Solidarity.
Politico writes about this with reference to three Ukrainian parliamentarians and a US foreign policy expert who represents the Republican Party.
Politico notes that the talks took place at the same time that Washington, together with moscow, sought to remove Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from power.
According to the publication, the possibility of holding an early presidential election in Ukraine was discussed during the meeting. "The Trump aides are confident that Zelenskyy would lose any vote due to war fatigue and public frustration over rampant corruption," the material says.
Despite this, according to polls, Zelenskyy's ratings remain high. As Politico notes, the Oval Office dispute has even contributed to his popularity.
"The official line from the U.S. administration is that Trump is not interfering in Ukraine’s domestic politics. This week, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick denied his boss was “weighing into Ukrainian politics,” adding all that Trump wants is a partner for peace. But the behavior of Trump and his officials suggests quite the opposite. Trump has accused Zelenskyy of being a “dictator without elections,” while Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has falsely accused Kyiv of canceling the election,” Politico writes.
The publication emphasizes that although Trump's associates can count on Zelenskyy's defeat, his popularity is much higher than that of Tymoshenko and Poroshenko.
Polling data
According to the results of a study by the British sociological company Survation, conducted after the scandal in the White House, 44% of respondents support Zelenskyy.
The second position is occupied by the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the current ambassador of Ukraine to the UK Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who lags behind by more than 20 percentage points.
Poroshenko is supported by 10% of respondents, Tymoshenko – 5.7%.
Political context
As Politico emphasizes, the issue of holding an early presidential election is being discussed against the backdrop of a possible temporary ceasefire, but before the start of full-scale peace talks.
This idea is also supported by the kremlin, which, according to the publication, has been trying to remove Zelenskyy for years.
Despite this, both Tymoshenko and Poroshenko, as well as Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, officially stated that elections should be held only after the end of hostilities.
However, as one leading Republican foreign policy expert, who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity, notes, “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.”
Comments from the parties
When asked by reporters about possible talks with US officials about elections or peace agreements, Tymoshenko’s press secretary, Natalya Lysova, replied: “We won’t comment on that yet.”
Poroshenko’s European Solidarity party said it was not pushing for elections, but was in favor of “free and fair competitive post-war elections in our country.”
The press service added: "It is also logical that any contacts do include the presentation of the vision of President Poroshenko and the European Solidarity on the ways to end the war with [a] just, comprehensive and lasting peace and [on] the limits for possible compromises on the negotiating points."
Politico also tried to get comments from four members of Trump's entourage who participated in the negotiations, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
Recall that US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said that the United States needs a Ukrainian leader who can interact with them, as well as with the russians, to end the war.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.