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Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
We may be approaching the final days of Zelensky's presidency
For much of the war being pro-Zelensky and pro-Ukraine have been the same thing. It was Zelensky's refusal to flee Russian invaders that steeled his people for fight, not capitulation. And it was Zelensky who personally shamed and inspired Western governments to send tanks and missiles at a time when many were more inclined to send helmets and medical kits. But Zelensky's moment is quickly passing into history. A growing constituency of his own people and of Ukraine's political elite are calling for new elections and a swift end to the war. And the imminent collapse of the Kursk incursion – widely seen as Zelensky's brainchild – will focus those calls into a clamour. It will be convenient to blame the coming massacre and capture of Ukrainian soldiers on Trump's cutoff of military aid and intelligence sharing. But in truth things have been bleak well before the recent Trump-Zelensky meltdown. Yesterday prominent Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Honcharenko called for peace with Russia after three years of passionate defiance. He called on Zelensky to stop claiming to be 'saving' Europe and concentrate on saving Ukraine. Indeed, for all the recent talk of Ukraine standing as a shield to Putin's aggression, Honcharenko pointed out the simple geographical truth that it is not Ukraine that stands between Russia and Poland but the close Kremlin ally Belarus. Some claim that Zelensky reaped an electoral boost after his Oval Office humiliation by Donald Trump and JD Vance. With polling in wartime patchy and unreliable, that is hard to prove either way. But what is in no doubt is that in the wake of the Oval Office row Ukraine's parliament came out with a joint statement strongly supporting the US and implicitly condemning Zelensky. The leaders of the Rada's parties wrote the following statement: 'The Ukrainian people desire peace more than anyone else in the world and believe that the personal role of President Donald Trump and his peacekeeping efforts will be decisive in the swift cessation of hostilities.' And the polls? It depends on what question you ask. Zelensky supporters point to recent polls that show a healthy 61 per cent 'trust' rating. But when it comes to future voting intentions, the answers are very different. Just 16 per cent of Ukrainian voters said that they would vote Zelensky back into power in a survey conducted by Socis, a major Kyiv-based market research company, last month. There is also a major vibe shift under way in the Ukrainian elite – including among Zelensky's former senior colleagues and allies. 'I distrust leaders eager to prolong [war],' wrote Iuliia Mendel, Zelensky's former press secretary. The West, she added, should 'unite to halt this horrific devastation of Ukrainians. I stand with the Ukrainian people who live in Ukraine and who want someone smart to finish this war and save the nation.' According to one cabinet-level former official who worked closely with Zelensky until 2023: 'Ukraine cannot have a president who does not have the confidence of our most powerful ally [the United States] … There is only one serious question in [Kyiv] politics today, who will replace Zelensky and how quickly?' Zelensky's diehard supporters – including many European leaders – see the hand of the Trump White House behind talk of regime change in Kyiv. Trump wants to please Putin at any cost, the conspiracy theory runs, and throwing Zelensky under the bus is a small price to pay. By this logic the Oval Office meeting was a calculated ambush. And we now know that top White House officials met Ukraine's former president Petro Poroshenko and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko in the days before the Zelensky visit. Both Ukrainians denied that the meeting was a plot to oust Zelensky. But they have admitted they discussed with Trump the mechanics of holding early elections. Is Trump gunning for Zelensky personally? The truth seems to lie somewhere in the murky middle. Trump's personal beef with Zelensky goes all the way back to 2019 with a phone call in which the American president allegedly threatened to withdraw US military aid unless Zelensky dished dirt on Hunter Biden. That incident became the basis for Trump's second impeachment in Congress (though it was vetoed in the Senate). But at the same time Trump was absolutely serious about signing a deal for Ukraine's strategic minerals in the Oval Office last month. Lunch was waiting on trolleys for the Ukrainian delegation, and a lengthy meeting between Zelensky and a group of 16 senators indicated that the signing would proceed without a hitch. Instead, it went wrong in the room. Watch the first 42 minutes of the 53 minute Oval Office press conference and all was perfectly cordial – until Zelensky, in Vance's words, was 'disrespectful.' Cue Trump and Vance's unseemly two-on-one pile on. And Zelensky, whose English is frankly poor, made things worse by being blunt to the point of rudeness. Leaving the blame game to historians, what is tangible is that power is ebbing from Ukraine's president by the day. Zelensky has gone to Riyadh for talks with Mohammed bin Salman, whose government has played a mediating role between Ukraine and Russia. But it will be Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, who will meet the US secretary of state Marco Rubio later this week to thrash out details of a possible ceasefire that Trump will put to Putin. For different reasons both Trump and Putin want Zelensky gone – they both speak of him as an illegitimate president. Can there be fair elections in wartime? There is a provision in Ukraine's constitution for the speaker of the Rada – Zelensky party member Ruslan Stefanchuk – to temporarily take over from a President who resigns. Some argue that should in fact have happened when Zelensky's term expired in May 2024. Is there any way Zelensky would acquiesce to his own defenestration? He told reporters last week that he would be willing to step down in exchange for Nato membership. That was hardly realistic – but the principle is noble. He has shown himself willing resign for the good of his country. For all of Europe's bold talk of stepping up to fill America's absent place as the arsenal of democracy and leader of the free world, the proposals thrashed out last week by Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Zelensky last week in London will be presented not directly to Putin but to Washington. And the £672.82 billion for defence that Brussels has announced are magicked out of thin air and wholly based on raising new debt. Ultimately, Trump is running this show. Zelensky needs to make one fundamental choice – whether a Trump-brokered ceasefire will be good for his country or not, and whether he will support or oppose it. In other words, is he part of the problem or part of the solution? Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
We may be approaching the final days of Zelensky's presidency
For much of the war being pro-Zelensky and pro-Ukraine have been the same thing. It was Zelensky's refusal to flee Russian invaders that steeled his people for fight, not capitulation. And it was Zelensky who personally shamed and inspired Western governments to send tanks and missiles at a time when many were more inclined to send helmets and medical kits. But Zelensky's moment is quickly passing into history. A growing constituency of his own people and of Ukraine's political elite are calling for new elections and a swift end to the war. And the imminent collapse of the Kursk incursion – widely seen as Zelensky's brainchild – will focus those calls into a clamour. It will be convenient to blame the coming massacre and capture of Ukrainian soldiers on Trump's cutoff of military aid and intelligence sharing. But in truth things have been bleak well before the recent Trump-Zelensky meltdown. Yesterday prominent Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Honcharenko called for peace with Russia after three years of passionate defiance. He called on Zelensky to stop claiming to be 'saving' Europe and concentrate on saving Ukraine. Indeed, for all the recent talk of Ukraine standing as a shield to Putin's aggression, Honcharenko pointed out the simple geographical truth that it is not Ukraine that stands between Russia and Poland but the close Kremlin ally Belarus. Some claim that Zelensky reaped an electoral boost after his Oval Office humiliation by Donald Trump and JD Vance. With polling in wartime patchy and unreliable, that is hard to prove either way. But what is in no doubt is that in the wake of the Oval Office row Ukraine's parliament came out with a joint statement strongly supporting the US and implicitly condemning Zelensky. The leaders of the Rada's parties wrote the following statement: 'The Ukrainian people desire peace more than anyone else in the world and believe that the personal role of President Donald Trump and his peacekeeping efforts will be decisive in the swift cessation of hostilities.' And the polls? It depends on what question you ask. Zelensky supporters point to recent polls that show a healthy 61 per cent 'trust' rating. But when it comes to future voting intentions, the answers are very different. Just 16 per cent of Ukrainian voters said that they would vote Zelensky back into power in a survey conducted by Socis, a major Kyiv-based market research company, last month. There is also a major vibe shift under way in the Ukrainian elite – including among Zelensky's former senior colleagues and allies. 'I distrust leaders eager to prolong [war],' wrote Iuliia Mendel, Zelensky's former press secretary. The West, she added, should 'unite to halt this horrific devastation of Ukrainians. I stand with the Ukrainian people who live in Ukraine and who want someone smart to finish this war and save the nation.' According to one cabinet-level former official who worked closely with Zelensky until 2023: 'Ukraine cannot have a president who does not have the confidence of our most powerful ally [the United States] … There is only one serious question in [Kyiv] politics today, who will replace Zelensky and how quickly?' Zelensky's diehard supporters – including many European leaders – see the hand of the Trump White House behind talk of regime change in Kyiv. Trump wants to please Putin at any cost, the conspiracy theory runs, and throwing Zelensky under the bus is a small price to pay. By this logic the Oval Office meeting was a calculated ambush. And we now know that top White House officials met Ukraine's former president Petro Poroshenko and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko in the days before the Zelensky visit. Both Ukrainians denied that the meeting was a plot to oust Zelensky. But they have admitted they discussed with Trump the mechanics of holding early elections. Is Trump gunning for Zelensky personally? The truth seems to lie somewhere in the murky middle. Trump's personal beef with Zelensky goes all the way back to 2019 with a phone call in which the American president allegedly threatened to withdraw US military aid unless Zelensky dished dirt on Hunter Biden. That incident became the basis for Trump's second impeachment in Congress (though it was vetoed in the Senate). But at the same time Trump was absolutely serious about signing a deal for Ukraine's strategic minerals in the Oval Office last month. Lunch was waiting on trolleys for the Ukrainian delegation, and a lengthy meeting between Zelensky and a group of 16 senators indicated that the signing would proceed without a hitch. Instead, it went wrong in the room. Watch the first 42 minutes of the 53 minute Oval Office press conference and all was perfectly cordial – until Zelensky, in Vance's words, was 'disrespectful.' Cue Trump and Vance's unseemly two-on-one pile on. And Zelensky, whose English is frankly poor, made things worse by being blunt to the point of rudeness. Leaving the blame game to historians, what is tangible is that power is ebbing from Ukraine's president by the day. Zelensky has gone to Riyadh for talks with Mohammed bin Salman, whose government has played a mediating role between Ukraine and Russia. But it will be Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, who will meet the US secretary of state Marco Rubio later this week to thrash out details of a possible ceasefire that Trump will put to Putin. For different reasons both Trump and Putin want Zelensky gone – they both speak of him as an illegitimate president. Can there be fair elections in wartime? There is a provision in Ukraine's constitution for the speaker of the Rada – Zelensky party member Ruslan Stefanchuk – to temporarily take over from a President who resigns. Some argue that should in fact have happened when Zelensky's term expired in May 2024. Is there any way Zelensky would acquiesce to his own defenestration? He told reporters last week that he would be willing to step down in exchange for Nato membership. That was hardly realistic – but the principle is noble. He has shown himself willing resign for the good of his country. For all of Europe's bold talk of stepping up to fill America's absent place as the arsenal of democracy and leader of the free world, the proposals thrashed out last week by Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Zelensky last week in London will be presented not directly to Putin but to Washington. And the £672.82 billion for defence that Brussels has announced are magicked out of thin air and wholly based on raising new debt. Ultimately, Trump is running this show. Zelensky needs to make one fundamental choice – whether a Trump-brokered ceasefire will be good for his country or not, and whether he will support or oppose it. In other words, is he part of the problem or part of the solution?
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Musk Demands Ukraine Vote as Lawmakers Back Zelenskiy's Mandate
(Bloomberg) -- Ukraine's parliament passed a resolution on Tuesday saying President Volodymyr Zelenskiy should remain in power as long as Russia's war continues and new elections may only be held once peace has been achieved, prompting a reaction from Elon Musk. Trump Targets $128 Billion California High-Speed Rail Project Trump Asserts Power Over NYC, Proclaims 'Long Live the King' NYC's Congestion Pricing Pulls In $48.6 Million in First Month NYC to Shut Migrant Center in Former Hotel as Crisis Eases As Visitors Discover Ghent, the City Is Trying to Prevent a Tourism Takeover Lawmakers in Kyiv approved the resolution with 268 of 280 votes on Tuesday. 'Hold an election,' wrote Musk, a key ally of US President Donald Trump, on social media platform X, in response to a post about the results of the parliament's vote. Parliament's support for Zelenskiy's mandate comes at a delicate moment, amid demands from Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that Ukraine hold snap presidential elections. Moscow has long demanded the vote and called Zelenskiy illegitimate, pointing to the fact that his term in office formally ended last May. However, an opinion poll by the Socis pollster, cited in Ukrainska Pravda, showed a majority of Ukrainians oppose holding a vote while Russia's full-scale invasion continues. The parliament in Kyiv reiterated that Ukraine's constitution does not allow elections while martial law stays in effect. Presidential elections will be held once a 'comprehensive, just and stable peace' is ensured, read the resolution. Zelenskiy must exercise his powers until the new president assumes office, the resolution said, referring to a constitutional need to ensure the continuity of power. Walmart Wants to Be Something for Everyone in a Divided America Meet Seven of America's Top Personal Finance Influencers Why Private Equity Is Eyeing Your Nest Egg Can Dr. Phil's Streaming Makeover Find an Audience in the MAGA Era? Anthony Levandowski Keeps on Truckin' ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Russia Today
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Zelensky would suffer crushing defeat if elections held now
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky would lose to his former commander-in-chief, Valery Zaluzhny, by a large margin if elections were held in Ukraine today, The Economist reports, citing internal polling. Zelensky's five-year presidential term expired in May 2024, and he has refused to hold elections since, citing martial law. Speaking late last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Zelensky no longer has the legitimacy required to sign official agreements. In an article on Wednesday, The Economist said, 'many Ukrainians are clearly frustrated with their war leader.' According to data cited in the report, Zelensky 'would lose a future election by 30% to 65% to Valery Zaluzhny,' if the former commander runs for office. Zaluzhny currently serves as Ukraine's ambassador to the UK. The Economist further claimed that, in sharp contrast to the 90% popularity he supposedly enjoyed during the early days of the conflict in 2022, Zelensky's trust ratings hit a low of 52% last month. On Thursday, Ukraine's media outlet – which is considered to be in opposition to the country's government and has come under pressure from the authorities – cited a recent survey conducted by Socis suggesting that only 15.9% would vote for Zelensky, with Zaluzhny enjoying the support of 27.2% of respondents. The question of Zelensky's popularity at home was raised by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, when he told reporters that the 'leader in Ukraine… he's down at a 4% approval rating.' He added that calls for new elections are 'not a Russia thing,' but rather 'something coming from me, and coming from many other countries also.' Responding to the US president's claim, Zelensky suggested on Wednesday that Trump had fallen for 'Russian disinformation.' He also cited a January poll from the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KMIS) that indicated 57% of Ukrainians trusted him. The Ukrainian leader's remarks apparently did not sit well with Trump, who blasted Zelensky in a post on his Truth Social platform later that day as a 'dictator without elections.' The US president reiterated his allegation that Zelensky 'is very low in Ukrainian Polls,' concluding that he 'better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.' Speaking at the Munich Security Conference last Saturday, the Ukrainian leader said he is 'ready to talk about elections, [but] Ukrainians don't want this.' He suggested that holding a vote amid the conflict with Moscow would undermine national unity.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poll exclusive to UP: half of Ukrainians support compromise to end war
According to a December 2024 poll conducted by Ukrainska Pravda, 50% of Ukrainians favour a compromise solution involving the leaders of other countries to end the war, but with significant security guarantees for Ukraine. Source: Ukrainska Pravda's article; a December poll by the sociological company Socis, available to Ukrainska Pravda Quote: "According to a December poll by the sociological company Socis, which is available to Ukrainska Pravda, the number of Ukrainians who would like immediate negotiations and an end to the war has recently increased sharply." Details: Thus, 50% of respondents support the search for a compromise solution involving the leaders of other countries to end the war. Also, the number of those who support freezing the war and ending combat actions along the current line of contact has increased from 8% to almost 20% over the year. One of the biggest risks of the negotiation process is whether the government's actions will be accepted by society and the servicemen. At the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainians were eager to defend the country and fight until the country's borders as of 1991 were restored, but the situation on the battlefield has evolved over the course of three years, as has public sentiment. Nonetheless, no one can guarantee that Ukrainian opposition would be avoided until the negotiations result in significant security guarantees for Ukraine. The majority of Ukrainska Pravda sources in the government team are adamant that any agreement can only be based on reliable guarantees of Ukraine's security until it enters NATO. Thus, the president believes that the subject of a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine entails at least 200,000 soldiers stationed in the country. Quote from one of the most influential members of the president's team: "We have two big tasks now. To try to do something big and unprecedented. Perhaps, to achieve some kind of agreement on guarantees with the United States, which would be ratified by the Congress. No one else in the world has this, and it would send a serious signal. We also must overcome Russia's main goals, such as permanent neutrality and the like." Details: However, most of the officials interviewed by Ukrainska Pravda assume that if it comes to negotiations, the Russians will try to start with the Istanbul Treaty project, which Ukraine has rejected in 2022. "So we'll have to fight harder to get rid of the 'treacherous' clauses about limiting the army or neutrality. But that's if it comes to such negotiations at all. We are still waiting to see what the Americans decide, and what the results of their talks with the Russians will be. Maybe our team will have to tell everyone to back off," the source said. Support UP or become our patron!
