Top Trump allies hold secret talks with Zelenskyy's Ukrainian opponents
Source: Politico
KYIV — Four senior members of Donald Trump’s entourage have held secret discussions with some of Kyiv’s top political opponents to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, just as Washington aligns with Moscow in seeking to lever the Ukrainian president out of his job.
The senior Trump allies held talks with Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, a remorselessly ambitious former prime minister, and senior members of the party of Petro Poroshenko, Zelenskyy’s immediate predecessor as president, according to three Ukrainian parliamentarians and a U.S. Republican foreign policy expert.
The discussions centered on whether Ukraine could hold quick presidential elections. These are being delayed in line with the country’s constitution because Ukraine remains under martial law. Critics of holding elections say they could be chaotic and play into Russia’s hands, with so many potential voters serving on the front lines or living abroad as refugees.
The Trump aides are confident that Zelenskyy would lose any vote due to war fatigue and public frustration over rampant corruption. Indeed, his poll ratings have been in decline for years, although they have picked up in the wake of last week’s Oval Office brawl, when the Ukrainian leader was shown the door after being berated by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. The most recent poll shows Zelenskyy still comfortably ahead in the race for the presidency.
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But the behavior of Trump and his officials suggests (they are interfering in Ukraine's domestic politics). Trump has accused Zelenskyy of being a “dictator without elections,” and hinted he would not be “around very long” if he didn’t do a deal with Russia. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has falsely accused Kyiv of canceling the election. (In response to the news in this article, Elon Musk tweeted: “Ukraine needs to hold an election. Zelensky would lose by a landslide.”)
Read more: https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-allies-secret-talks-volodymyr-zelenskyy-opposition-ukraine-elections-yulia-tymoshenko-petro-poroshenko/
Trumple ThinSkin strikes again. He got his feefees hurt because president Z. had the audacity to call Vance on his lies, and speak back to him.
I wouldn't be surprised if Trump has already ordered the U.S. Cyber Command to attack Ukraine and Zelenskyy in particular.
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and even more that Tymoshenko might have a chance in hell. They take this as evidence that Trump's henchmen haven't a clue about Ukrainian politics.
Despite the article's claims, Zelensky still polls (as much as polls have any great reliability in a country at war) way higher than any likely challengers, the only one coming close being Ukraine's ex-armed forces C-in-C and current ambassador to the UK Valerii Zaluzhny, who I think would be Zelensky's most credible successor, but Trump's minions don't seem to have approached him for some reason.
These are the recent standings in a head-to-head according to Gradus:
Zelensky's approval rating in Ukraine rose to 57% in mid-February, up five points from January, even before Trump's attempts at strong-arm tactics, and other academic polling has placed it in the low to mid-60s. It can only have climbed further since then.
In addition, the Ukrainian parliament expressed overwhelming support for Zelensky and reaffirmed Ukraine's opposition to elections under martial law only three weeks or so ago:
...
The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed a resolution entitled "Statement of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Support for Democracy in Ukraine in Conditions of Russian Aggression" on February 25 that affirms Zelensky's presidency and mandates that elections cannot be held during periods of martial law.
The resolution stated that Kyiv would hold elections "after comprehensive, just and sustainable peace is ensured on its territory." It also asserted that "it is Vladimir Putin who is responsible for the fact that it is currently impossible to organize free, transparent and democratic elections in Ukraine."
The parliament also disputed recent statements questioning the legitimacy of Zelensky's presidency by Trump and Putin, and stated that he was "elected in free, transparent, democratic elections," adding, "His mandate is not questioned by the Ukrainian people and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine."
The Verkhovna Rada did not have enough votes to pass the resolution on the first reading, but during the second, it was supported by 268 members, while 12 abstained from voting and none voted against, according to the Kyiv Independent.
https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-defies-trump-zelensky-unanimously-backed-2035933
