Medvedev called Zelensky's re-election extremely dangerous

It is dangerous for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (whose term of office expired on 20 May 2024) to be re-elected for a new term, so he will stall negotiations with Russia. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said on January 29.

"He may even try to be re-elected, but it is extremely dangerous for him," he told RIA Novosti.

According to Medvedev, Zelensky will either be defeated in the election or his "piece will be removed from the chessboard by Anglo-Saxon grandmasters."

As for the talks between Moscow and Kiev, Medvedev said that Russia was ready to negotiate with Ukraine on certain conditions.

Earlier, on January 8, the media reported that Zelensky allegedly decided to run for a second term in a future presidential election on the condition that former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) and ambassador to the UK Valeriy Zaluzhny would not run. The Ukrainian leader himself has not yet publicly confirmed his plans to run for a second term.

Verkhovna Rada deputy Artem Dmytruk said on December 22, 2024, that the majority of Ukrainians in a hypothetical election would vote against Zelensky and choose a politician who advocates peace with Russia. Dmytruk suggested that if the voting were conducted honestly and without pressure from military commissions, the ruling party would get only 5 percent of the vote.

The press bureau of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said on November 11 that Washington was considering holding presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine in 2025 if fighting continues.

Rada deputy Yevhen Shevchenko on 6 November called on US President Donald Trump to help hold elections for the head of state in Ukraine, stressing that an authoritarian dictatorial regime would be the cause of the country's demise.

According to the provisions of the Ukrainian Constitution, Zelensky's presidential term ended on May 20. Elections were supposed to be held in March last year, but they were canceled due to the martial law imposed by the president in Ukraine, effective from February 24, 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on 17 May that the issue of the legitimacy of the president should be resolved within the Ukrainian state, while the issue of the legality of the Ukrainian political leader in office remains important for Russia.