According to RT , citing the Ukrainian newspaper Ukrainskaya Pravda, former Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny informed President Volodymyr Zelensky that he would run in the next presidential election. According to polls cited by Ukrainskaya Pravda, Zaluzhny could defeat the incumbent president in a second round of voting (with only two candidates).
Citing sources, Ukrainskaya Pravda reported that Zaluzhny, currently Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, was summoned to Kyiv last week. Officially, the trip was to discuss the political situation in the UK following Prime Minister Keir Starmer's announcement of his imminent resignation. However, according to the newspaper, the real reason was President Zelensky's concerns about Zaluzhny's potential candidacy for the presidency.
In a private meeting, Zelensky reportedly stated that the current conflict had created a "window of opportunity" to hold elections, but stressed that this process must be carried out in a way that does not divide the country.
According to Ukrainskaya Pravda, Zelensky asked the former Commander-in-Chief: "If the elections are held in the autumn, would you run?" Zaluzhny reportedly replied briefly: "Yes."
The newspaper reported that Zelensky did not offer any position to a potential opponent, although some government sources said the Ukrainian leader was willing to discuss almost any position, including Prime Minister . For his part, Zaluzhny reportedly said that he had never pursued a political career, but could not let down the Ukrainian people who had high expectations of him.
Subsequently, several close allies of Zelensky continued to try to persuade Zaluzhny to change his mind, but without success.
Zaluzhny was dismissed from his position as Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian armed forces in February 2024 and subsequently appointed Ambassador to the United Kingdom. This move was widely seen at the time as an attempt by President Zelensky to remove a potential rival from domestic politics.
According to the results of a closed poll cited by Ukrainskaya Pravda, Zelensky currently leads with 33% support, followed by Zaluzhny with 22% and the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Kirill Budanov, with 14%. However, if the race goes to a second round, Zaluzhny is predicted to potentially beat Zelensky with 37% to 32%, and also surpass Budanov with 34% to 32%.
Zelensky's presidential term ended in May 2024, but he has not held new elections, citing the fact that Ukraine has remained under martial law since the conflict with Russia escalated in early 2022. Russia subsequently declared that Zelensky no longer had legal legitimacy and argued that this was an obstacle to signing a peace agreement.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on Ukraine to hold elections. In response, the Ukrainian leader has stated his readiness to hold elections if Kyiv's partners guarantee the necessary security conditions.
Source: https://znews.vn/doi-thu-moi-thach-thuc-ong-zelensky-trong-bau-cu-post1665290.html
