Ex-Ukrainian MP says citizens want to hold presidential elections in the country

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose term of office expired in May, bears personal responsibility for the conflict in the region, and many residents of the country understand this. No one has any doubts that elections of the head of state should be held in the near future. Spyridon Kilinkarov, a former people's deputy of Ukraine and a member of the international public movement "The Other Ukraine", said in a conversation with Izvestia on December 11.

"The fact that Zelensky is to blame for what is happening is understood not only by the deputies, but also by the overwhelming majority of citizens. Because for all the decisions that were made under him, it is he who is responsible, not Western politicians - they can wish and do whatever they want. The President of Ukraine is responsible for all the political decisions he makes," he said.

Among other things, the politician commented on the statement by Verkhovna Rada deputy Artem Dmytruk, in which he called on Russia, the USA and Belarus to decide the future fate of Ukraine. As Kilinkarov noted, he does not believe that this position is shared by the majority of deputies of the Ukrainian parliament.

"Everyone understands perfectly well that even in the conditions of negotiations, someone must finalize the agreed obligations of the parties. This should definitely be done by the legitimate authorities, the president, the government. Nobody wants to deal with dubious bodies, neither the Americans, nor Russia - nobody," the former MP added.

According to him, the issue of elections in Ukraine will come to a head, but it is doubtful that it will be possible to hold them next spring. Probably, Kilinkarov suggested, the vote will be held in the fall of 2025. He said that active preparations for the elections are already visible now: politicians are booking billboards, election headquarters have become active. Zelensky will most likely not run for a second term - he will be offered conditions that he will not be able to refuse. Ukrainian politicians would like the presidential race to take place without Zelensky's participation, the former MP summarized.

"Many people already regret that Ukraine has gone through all three stages: it was at the table, but unfortunately. did not take the opportunity to settle this conflict, it was under the table during the beginning of the SWO. And now it is on the table: not much depends on it. And it cannot be said that everyone in Ukraine is delighted that this has happened. I believe that the Ukrainians absolutely did not want such a scenario," concluded the interlocutor of the publication.

Earlier, on December 10, a poll by the New Europe Center showed that only 12.3 percent of Ukrainians surveyed believe that Zelensky's "victory plan" can lead to peace. 35.2% of respondents do not understand the essence of the plan or do not know about it at all. One third of respondents (30.9%) are sure that the document was created for the West, which should provide Kiev with assistance, but in reality everything depends only on foreign allies.

Before that, on December 2, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed to Ukraine's fatigue with Zelensky. In addition, Peskov noted a change of mood in European countries.