Washington sees Zelensky as ‘inconvenient,’ will insist on election in Ukraine — report
Department of Research, Strategic Studies and International Relations 04-02-2025
The report mentioned that the US president’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has already said that in case of a ceasefire, Zelensky should call presidential and parliamentary elections
The White House views Vladimir Zelensky as a hurdle and will insist on an election in Ukraine if a ceasefire is reached, the Italian news website InsideOver reported.
According to the report, there is less regard for Zelensky after Russia was able to advance in Donbass, with Russian troops approaching the western border of the Donetsk People’s Republic, while Ukrainian forces failed in their offensive in Russia’s Kursk Region.
“For him to go to the polls soon means an almost certain guilty verdict amid defeats on the battlefield and the general mood of Ukrainians, more than half of whom support a prompt end to the conflict, even with territorial concessions. For the White House, Zelensky represents a total inconvenience,” the report said.
Inside Over mentioned that the US president’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has already said that in case of a ceasefire, Zelensky should call presidential and parliamentary elections, which were postponed due to the current martial law.
Ukraine was supposed to have held presidential elections in March 2024. The authorities said they didn’t happen because of martial law, but many experts believe that only the powers of the legislature should be extended under martial law, but not the term of the head of state. Zelensky’s term in office expired after May 20 last year. However, he said that he was not concerned about his legitimacy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that Zelensky’s legitimacy has ended, so it is important to understand who in Kiev would be the right counterparty to sign any legally binding deal. He has insisted that the current Ukrainian leadership is now illegitimate, representing a legal hurdle that would devalue the outcome of any talks it holds.
