People from Donald Trump's entourage have held secret talks with some of Volodymyr Zelensky's main political opponents in Kyiv, including Yulia Tymoshenko and Petro Poroshenko. Trump's entourage is confident that Zelensky will lose the election due to public fatigue with the war and corruption, writes the publication, citing three Ukrainian parliamentarians and an American foreign policy expert. However, according to the latest polls, Zelensky still confidently leads in the presidential race.
Informal talks focused on the possibility of holding presidential elections in Ukraine soon, which is a key element of the plan to end the war that Washington is discussing unofficially. In particular, the American administration considers it necessary to organize presidential elections after agreeing on a temporary ceasefire and before comprehensive peace talks begin.
Critics of holding elections say they could be chaotic and play into Russia's hands, as many potential voters are serving on the front lines or living abroad as refugees.
The official line of the US administration is that Trump does not interfere in Ukraine's internal politics. However, the behavior of Trump and his officials suggests otherwise. Trump accused Zelensky of being a "dictator without elections," and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard accused Kyiv of canceling elections that cannot actually be held during martial law. At the same time, the idea of early presidential elections is also being promoted by the Kremlin, which has wanted to get rid of Zelensky for many years.
In a poll conducted by the British company Survation this week, 44% of respondents said they would support Zelensky in the presidential elections. His closest competitor, Valeriy Zaluzhny, lags by more than 20%. Only 10% supported Poroshenko, and Tymoshenko, according to the poll, has only 5.7%.
Both Tymoshenko and Poroshenko have publicly opposed holding elections before the end of hostilities, as has Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. However, "Poroshenko's and Yulia's people, they are all talking to Trump, positioning themselves as people who will be easier to work with," said Politico one of the leading Republican foreign policy experts, noting that they "will agree to much of what Zelensky does not agree to."
For several days now, Trump administration officials have been suggesting that Zelensky resign if he does not fully agree with the American plan for a quick end to the war, even if it requires significant concessions from Ukraine.