Trump allies in secret talks with Ukrainian opposition
Politico reports that Donald Trump's representatives have been secretly conducting talks with the Ukrainian opposition. For some time now, the President of the United States and his associates have suggested that they prefer a different negotiating partner than Volodymyr Zelensky and are pressing for elections.
According to Politico, four senior representatives of Donald Trump met with former Prime Minister and leader of the opposition Batkivshchyna party Yulia Tymoshenko and representatives of former President Petro Poroshenko's European Solidarity. The Article cites three Ukrainian deputies and a Republican foreign policy expert.
The Americans wanted to find out whether Ukraine can hold quick presidential elections. Elections are suspended due to martial law, and the Ukrainian constitution prohibits organizing elections under such conditions. Commentators also point out that elections at this time would not be fair, as a significant part of the country is involved in conflict, and millions of Ukrainians are outside the borders.
The Americans want the elections to occur after a ceasefire agreement is reached but before final peace talks.
Tymoshenko and Poroshenko have publicly opposed holding elections during ongoing fighting. However, as reported by Politico, both presented themselves to Trump's representatives as being more cooperative — and as people who would agree to many things that Zelensky is unwilling to compromise on, says a Republican Party international policy expert who wishes to remain anonymous.
Trump wants to remove Zelensky
The Trump administration wants elections organized in Ukraine because they believe Volodymyr Zelensky would lose, partly due to public fatigue with the war and his current administration. The Americans also want a more compliant president who would agree to negotiations with the Russians and considerable concessions on peace. The Kremlin is also pressuring voters, having tried for years to oust Zelensky.
However, Trump may miscalculate. According to a British Survation poll conducted after the commotion at the White House, 44% of Ukrainians would support Zelensky in another bid for the presidency.
The second-highest support was given by the former Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the current Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Valery Zaluzhny, supported by 21%.
Poroshenko would receive 10% of the vote, former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov would garner 6.1%, and Yulia Tymoshenko would secure 5.7%.
