Elections announced
Will this man replace Zelenskyi as president?
The Ukrainian president, who has come under heavy pressure due to a corruption scandal in his closest circle, has surprisingly spoken out in favor of elections in his country within the next 60 to 90 days. According to media reports, Volodymyr Selensky has fallen sharply in the electorate's favor. One rival in particular could pose a threat to him.
Elections are prohibited by law in Ukraine under the current martial law. Zelensky's term of office expired last year, which is why critics are questioning his legitimacy as president. He announced on Tuesday that he would ask parliament for legislative proposals that could allow elections during martial law. Until now, Zelensky and other government representatives had rejected a vote in view of the Russian airstrikes, almost one million soldiers on the front and millions of displaced persons.
Trump criticizes "dictator" Zelenskyi
However, criticism from Washington of the incumbent head of state has recently become ever louder. In an interview with the news portal "Politico", US President Donald Trump stated that it was "time" for the Ukrainian people to decide on their own leadership. He criticized that the war was being used as an excuse not to hold elections and repeated earlier accusations against Zelensky, whom he had called a "dictator" shortly after taking office.
The Ukrainian head of state is apparently bowing to this pressure, although he is probably aware that his cards would not be so good in an election. After all, the approval ratings from the first days of the war in 2022 have evaporated. The online newspaper "Kyiv Independent" recently put this important figure for politicians at 20 percent. His most serious rival is close behind with 19.1%: Valery Salushnyi.
Criticism of Zelenskyi's offensives
The former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces has been Ukraine's ambassador in London since February 2024. He is still extremely popular with the people and has repeatedly acted as an opponent or at least critical commentator on Zelensky's defense policy. This is how the different assessments clashed for the first time before the fall of the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut in March 2023. While the commander-in-chief at the time recommended abandoning the city in order to massively reduce losses, Zelensky adhered to his plan to keep Bakhmut as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
Selushnyi was also later rather cautiously critical of direct large-scale offensives - he saw the 2024 operation after Kursk as an example of risky and lossy advances whose "price was too high". Instead, the general advocated a "mature, technologically supported war of defense and survival" in which massive losses are avoided and long-term stability is kept in mind, as stated in an analysis by the news portal "ExpertNews" in September of this year. Over time, a difficult relationship developed between the two men. Political observers also saw Salushnyi's dismissal and "promotion" to ambassador in London as an attempt by Zelenskyi to silence a critic.
Is Zelensky even throwing in the towel?
Even though the president officially emphasized that Salushnyj had told him that "this was the direction he wanted to take - diplomacy". The 52-year-old has by no means fallen silent since then. He remains relevant and is dangerously close to Zelensky in the polls. It is unclear whether Salushnyj is even interested in the presidency. Moreover, it could well be that the current wartime president will no longer have the ambition to lead the country after a possible peace agreement with Russia.
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