Zelensky’s Main Rival Blasts Idea of Elections During Wartime

President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s principal domestic political opponent, his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, has firmly rejected the idea of holding new elections in Ukraine during wartime.

The leader of the European Solidarity party is convinced that beginning electoral processes in Ukraine while Ukraine is at war will undermine internal unity and only benefit the Russian enemy, his party’s official website reported on Jan. 30.

The lawmaker’s statement during a meeting with diplomats, politicians and experts at the French Institute of International Relations appears to be a direct response to the explicit calls being made by President Donald Trump‘s new team to meet a condition set out by Moscow for peace negotiations with Ukraine to begin.

According to Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellog, presidential and parliamentary elections should be held in Ukraine, especially in the event of a ceasefire.

On Feb. 1 Reuters reported Kellogg saying in an interview that elections “need to be done,” to facilitate peacemaking with Russia.

Russian president Vladimir Putin claims that Zelensky is an “illegitimate“ president and has declared that he is not prepared to negotiate with him.

Zelensky’s five-year term would have ended in 2024, but under martial law imposed in February 2022 when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, presidential and parliamentary polls cannot be held.

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Poroshenko has effectively called out the US diplomat and the White House‘s approach.

“Do you know what the elections in Ukraine mean now? Destroying unity. Because elections are always a struggle. And there can be no unity during elections. Every democracy knows that,” he said

It would be a no-win situation both for him and Zelensky. 

“Who would be the winner of this election? That is one person – Putin. He already has a well-thought-out disinformation campaign. He has a fifth column. And he will not take a step back now. If there are elections during the war, he will simply seize the moment. That is unacceptable,” emphasized Poroshenko.

“We must win the war. We must cease fire. And the elections must fulfil the general criteria of democracy and freedom. I am against holding the elections now,” the politician elaborated.

Given the ongoing political infighting behind the scenes in Kyiv between Zelensky’s and Poroshenko’s forces, this emphasis on unity in the interest of victory sends a clear signal to the outside world as to what Ukraine’s priorities are.