U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that Ukraine's president is an illegitimate "dictator" aligns with Kremlin war objectives and puts Volodymyr Zelensky in an almost impossible situation, experts and analysts have told the Kyiv Independent. "In the last few days we’ve seen how closely Trump has aligned himself with
"The legitimacy of the Ukrainian government is the exclusive prerogative of the Ukrainian people," the statement read.
Some 26.1% of Ukrainians said they completely approve Zelensky, while another 36.9% said they tend to approve him. The overall figure is higher than in polls conducted years before Russia's full-scale invasion, as well as in the spring of 2024.
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Feb. 19 that President Volodymyr Zelensky was a "modestly successful comedian" turned "dictator" who "refused to have elections." This was the latest in a series of false accusations Trump has made about Ukraine while his team is engaging in peace negotiations with Russia,
U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 19 launched an astonishing attack on President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him a "dictator" with a "very low" approval rating that refuses to hold elections in Ukraine. The comments came a day after similar remarks made at the White House, in which Trump falsely
Trump alleged without evidence that Zelensky holds a "4% approval rating" in Ukraine and blamed his leadership, not Putin's, for "allow(ing) the war to go on."
President Volodymyr Zelensky had imposed sanctions against the official leader of the opposition, ex-President Petro Poroshenko. The following decree was published on Feb. 13. Despite the official reasoning given by the country's Security Service being high treason committed a decade ago, the unilateral sanctions imposed on the former president have
The U.S. hasn't yet discussed with Ukraine the necessity of holding elections by the end of 2025, according to Oksana Markarova.
Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, told Reuters that presidential and parliamentary elections, suspended since the all-out war began, "need to be done."
Ukraine will not hold elections under martial law even if Russia puts it forward as one of the pre-conditions for negotiations, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview on Ukrainian television released on Jan. 2.
Elections are suspended. Martial law has granted new wartime powers to the president’s office. The largest opposition party in parliament was banned after the full-scale invasion. More than two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s political opposition has diminished, but continues to affect Ukraine’s politics, experts
If martial law had not been imposed, the next presidential election would have been held on March 31, 2024, and Zelensky’s term would have ended on May 20.
President Volodymyr Zelensky's term in office is supposed to end on May 20, 2024 – but it won’t. As Russia’s war delayed the elections and Zelensky's term is looking indefinite, Ukraine’s President’s Office is preparing to weather the storm of critics questioning the president’s legitimacy. Officially,
When Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a fake vote to extend his mandate in March 2024, Ukraine will not be allowed to hold an election due to the martial law imposed amid Russia's aggression. This won't suddenly make Russia more democratic than Ukraine. If Russia had not invaded Ukraine, it
