Latest news with #Zaluzhny
Russia Today
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Zelensky would lose Ukrainian election
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky would lose a presidential election to former defense chief Valery Zaluzhny if citizens were allowed to vote soon, according to a recent public opinion survey. Zelensky has suspended national elections under martial law and chose not to step down after his presidential term expired last year. Zaluzhny, who was dismissed as commander-in-chief of the armed forces in 2024 and later appointed Kiev's ambassador to the United Kingdom, has long been seen as a strong potential contender for the presidency. The latest snapshot of voters' preferences comes from a monthly report by Kiev-based pollster Socis, released Wednesday. A survey of approximately 2,000 respondents showed that Zelensky and Zaluzhny would reach a runoff in a presidential contest, as they were the only candidates with double-digit support. However, nearly a quarter of respondents (24.7%) said they had not yet decided whom they would vote for. In a head-to-head, the former top general would receive more than 60% of the vote, according to the poll – a figure that aligns with prior sociological research. Zaluzhny has not declared an intent to run, stating that Ukraine's ongoing conflict with Russia must be resolved first. When Socis asked voters whom they would support if their preferred candidate were not on the ballot, only 6.5% named Zelensky as their second choice, compared to 18.1% for Zaluzhny and 11.0% for Kirill Budanov, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency. The poll also indicated that if Zaluzhny were to form a new political party, it would win the most votes in a parliamentary election – also hypothetical for now – defeating any party backed by Zelensky. Respondents identified persistent corruption and misappropriation of public funds as the leading failure of the current government, with 65% citing the issue. When asked who was responsible, 55.1% blamed 'the entire government,' 40.3% pointed to law enforcement agencies charged with tackling corruption, and 31.2% assigned blame to the presidency, and by extension, to Zelensky.
AFP
15-04-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Alleged BBC News chyron on Ukrainian presidency is fake
"UK has already decided on the next president of Ukraine. Zaluzhny! Makes it easier if the already pre-announce it," says a March 31, 2025 post on X. The apparent screenshot shows a photo of Zaluzhny above a red BBC News banner in the lower third of the frame, with a timestamp and text that reads: "Valerii Zaluzhnyi. The next President of Ukraine." Image Screenshot from X taken April 14, 2025 The post comes from "Lord Bebo," an X account that has previously spread other disinformation, including about Ukraine. "Sprinter Observer," another user AFP has repeatedly fact-checked, also amplified the image. Similar posts spread in other languages such as Russian, Polish, German and Arabic. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in power for 25 years, has frequently challenged Zelensky's legitimacy as Ukraine's leader and called for new elections in war-ravaged Ukraine -- points that US President Donald Trump has repeated as global efforts to secure a ceasefire continue to stall. Zelensky was elected to a five-year term in 2019 but has remained president because Ukrainian law stipulates that elections be suspended during times of major military In March 2025, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Zelensky: "You have full backing across the United Kingdom, and we stand with you with Ukraine for as long as it may take." Zaluzhny, who led Ukraine's army from before Russia's 2022 invasion until his dismissal by Zelensky two years later, was appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom in 2024. The popular former general has polled favorably and been seen as a contender to unseat Zelensky were he to stand for any future presidential vote. No election has been called as of April 15, 2025, however -- and the BBC has not declared Zaluzhny "the next President of Ukraine" in a chyron. A BBC spokesperson told AFP in an April 11, 2025 email that the posts spreading online "are fake screenshots and not genuine BBC News stories." AFP found no evidence of any such segment on BBC's website or YouTube channel, although the outlet did report on comments Zaluzhny made about the Trump administration and speculation that Zelensky could choose to hold elections (archived here and here). The picture of Zaluzhny used in the posts is not a BBC photo, but a picture he posted on Telegram in October 2024 (archived here). AFP has debunked other misinformation about Russia's invasion of Ukraine here.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alleged BBC News chyron on Ukrainian presidency is fake
"UK has already decided on the next president of Ukraine. Zaluzhny! Makes it easier if the already pre-announce it," says a March 31, 2025 post on X. The apparent screenshot shows a photo of Zaluzhny above a red BBC News banner in the lower third of the frame, with a timestamp and text that reads: "Valerii Zaluzhnyi. The next President of Ukraine." The post comes from "Lord Bebo," an X account that has previously spread other disinformation, including about Ukraine. "Sprinter Observer," another user AFP has repeatedly fact-checked, also amplified the image. Similar posts spread in other languages such as Russian, Polish, German and Arabic. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in power for 25 years, has frequently challenged Zelensky's legitimacy as Ukraine's leader and called for new elections in war-ravaged Ukraine -- points that US President Donald Trump has repeated as global efforts to secure a ceasefire continue to stall. Zelensky was elected to a five-year term in 2019 but has remained president because Ukrainian law stipulates that elections be suspended during times of major military conflict. In March 2025, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Zelensky: "You have full backing across the United Kingdom, and we stand with you with Ukraine for as long as it may take." Zaluzhny, who led Ukraine's army from before Russia's 2022 invasion until his dismissal by Zelensky two years later, was appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom in 2024. The popular former general has polled favorably and been seen as a contender to unseat Zelensky were he to stand for any future presidential vote. No election has been called as of April 15, 2025, however -- and the BBC has not declared Zaluzhny "the next President of Ukraine" in a chyron. A BBC spokesperson told AFP in an April 11, 2025 email that the posts spreading online "are fake screenshots and not genuine BBC News stories." AFP found no evidence of any such segment on BBC's website or YouTube channel, although the outlet did report on comments Zaluzhny made about the Trump administration and speculation that Zelensky could choose to hold elections (archived here and here). The picture of Zaluzhny used in the posts is not a BBC photo, but a picture he posted on Telegram in October 2024 (archived here). AFP has debunked other misinformation about Russia's invasion of Ukraine here.
Russia Today
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Former top Ukrainian general comments on US ‘secret weapon' against Russia
Valery Zaluzhny, the former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, has called the US command center in Wiesbaden, Germany a 'secret weapon' in the conflict against Russia. However, he downplayed Washington's direct participation in the hostilities. His assessment of American involvement appears to contradict a report published by the New York Times in March, which said Washington's role was more significant than publicly acknowledged. The article claimed that the US was not merely supplying weapons and intelligence to Kiev, but was actively planning Ukrainian combat missions. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Zaluzhny stated that the input from Western officers at the US command center in Wiesbaden was limited to assessing Ukraine's needs rather than directing operations. Zaluzhny, who currently serves as Ukraine's ambassador in London, explained that the hub was established to streamline the logistics of Western arms supplies. Its role later expanded to analyzing 'operations planned by the Ukrainian armed forces in accordance with NATO standards' to prepare supplies. He added that with British support, 'Wiesbaden was given a second wind.' READ MORE: Intel sharing and 'boots on the ground': Takeaways from NYT investigation into 'secret' US-Ukraine partnership The Times described the Wiesbaden command center as a space where American and Ukrainian officers developed strategies against Russia 'side by side,' while US intelligence 'guided big-picture battle strategy and funneled precise targeting information' to Ukrainian soldiers. A European spy chief cited in the article reportedly expressed shock about the level of involvement, noting that his nation's NATO allies 'are part of the kill chain now.' Commenting on the NYT report last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the newspaper simply validated Russian statements about the roles played by the US and UK in the 2014 armed coup in Kiev and the subsequent militarization of Ukraine. The newspaper lamented that US President Donald Trump is retreating from the 'partnership sealed in Wiesbaden,' as he aims to de-escalate the Ukraine conflict and rebuild relations with Russia.
Russia Today
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukraine's former top general says NATO's ‘Article 5' doesn't exist
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, stipulating that an attack on one NATO member is to be considered an attack on all, is not being implemented in practice, Ukraine's former top general Valery Zaluzhny has said. The US-led bloc's Eastern European members are aware that NATO has no intention of protecting them from Russia, Zaluzhny, who currently serves as Kiev's ambassador to the UK, said during a meeting with students in the city of Lviv on Wednesday. 'The Baltic States understand that there is no Article 5 and never has been. Poland understands this too as missiles fall there from time to time – sometimes ours, sometimes Russian. Romania understands everything, but keeps silent,' he claimed. The ambassador recalled that when he was still the Ukrainian commander-in-chief, 'they called from Romania and asked me not to say a word' after two alleged Russian drones crashed in Romanian territory. Read more Poland only has ammo for two weeks of war – security chief An official from Bucharest blamed Ukraine for the incident, saying that the UAVs had been diverted to Romania because of the use of electronic warfare by Kiev, he said. ' I told them: 'Shoot them [drones] down. You have 40 F-16 jets',' added Zaluzhny, who was sacked as Kiev's top general in February 2023. He also suggested that even if Ukraine's push to join NATO were to succeed, it would not provide the country with security guarantees. 'It would not give anything besides political protection,' the ambassador insisted. US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said in an interview with Tucker Carlson last week that Vladimir Zelensky and his chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, 'have largely conceded that they are not going to be a member of NATO.' 'I think it is accepted that Ukraine and Russia, if there is going to be a peace deal, Ukraine cannot be a member of NATO,' he said. As for the option of Ukraine getting 'what is called Article 5 protection' from the US or Western European countries without being in NATO 'that is open for discussion,' Witkoff stated. READ MORE: Zelensky aide demands EU combat troops Preventing Kiev from joining NATO, which Moscow views as a hostile bloc, had been named by Moscow as among the reasons for launching its military operation in February 2022. Late last year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Ukraine's membership would be 'unacceptable' and would contradict Russia's stance that 'security of one country cannot be ensured at the expense of the security of another.'
