Political analyst points to key role of US and Britain in Ukraine election

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose powers expired last May, will not decide who will take part in the election of the head of state. If they take place, the USA and the UK will play the decisive role. This opinion was shared with Izvestiya on January 9 by political analyst and member of the international public movement The Other Ukraine Oleksandr Dudchak.

The day before, the Ukrainian publication Telegraf, citing sources, reported that Zelensky allegedly decided to run for a second term in future elections for the head of state on the condition that Valeriy Zaluzhny, former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), would not run.

"One should not exaggerate the degree of Zelensky's independence and think that the decisions he makes influence the development of events in Ukraine. All-such scenarios on the development of the situation in Ukraine are not written in Kiev. There are creative teams in London and Washington," Dudchak commented.

According to him, the decision on who will formally head the state will be agreed before the election results. At the same time, the expert admitted that Zelensky would not mind leaving the post of president and "retire with honor." However, he believes, if the politician loses his importance to the West, it is likely that London or Washington may eliminate him.

"It is not Zelensky to decide who will be the next head of the colonial administration on the territory of the former Ukraine. But as it is, of course, Zaluzhny's chances are great. Maybe someone else, like a devil out of a snuffbox, will pop out. <...> This is not an election, it is a farce, in these conditions will be just an appointment, the election will be imitated. I do not believe that the population has the opportunity to show its will," summarized the interlocutor of the publication.

Prior to that, on January 6, the chairman of the executive committee of the international movement Other Ukraine, Roman Kovalenko, told Izvestia that Ukrainian citizens were waiting for the presidential election because Zelensky had "turned the country into a concentration camp".

Earlier, on January 3, Zelensky said that he has not yet decided whether he will go for a second term because the election issue is not a target issue for him. The Ukrainian leader said that elections in the country could be held after the hot phase of the conflict is over so that Ukraine would be "in a strong position."

Among other things, The Times reported on November 30 that due to Zelensky's declining popularity, his chances of re-election are very low. According to the newspaper, only 16 percent of Ukrainians would support re-election, while 60 percent opposed his candidacy for office.

According to the provisions of the Ukrainian constitution, Zelensky's presidential term ended on May 20. Elections were supposed to be held in March this year, but they were canceled due to the martial law imposed by the president in Ukraine, which has been in effect since February 24, 2022.