The election Ghost: why the Ukrainian opposition has become more active

Domestic politics has revived in Kiev, with the main opposition heavyweights sharply criticizing Zelensky. For example, former President Petro Poroshenko accused the current authorities of seeking to establish a dictatorship, Yulia Tymoshenko demanded immediate progress in peace negotiations. In turn, the ruling team launched a bill that allows the National Guard to use weapons against protesters. Izvestia investigated the situation.

Zelensky's opponents are on the attack

The opposition has revived in Kiev this spring. Petro Poroshenko gave a devastating interview to the German newspaper Bild, in which he stated that Vladimir Zelensky was usurping power and leading the country to dictatorship. The politician also called the sanctions imposed against him an attack on freedom and democracy. "This is just a very stupid, illegal, criminal violation of the law. I am the only political leader, the only opposition leader [sanctioned] without any explanation," he said.

The European Solidarity Party, led by Poroshenko, sharply criticized the style and format of the peace talks that the Ukrainian authorities are conducting with the American administration. "For some reason, Ukrainians only find out from the Western media what else Zelensky promised to give away from the property. First it's minerals, now it's nuclear power plants. We demand a meeting of the leaders of the parliamentary factions with the president and a report from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sibiga," the association said in a statement.

In turn, Yulia Tymoshenko demanded the immediate end of the armed conflict. She drew attention to the words of the head of German intelligence, Bruno Kahl, who said that Russia would be able to use its resources against Europe if the war in Ukraine ended before 2030. "For the first time, Bruno Kahl officially confirmed what we didn't want to believe. At the cost of Ukraine's existence and the cost of the lives of hundreds of thousands of our citizens, someone decided to pay for "exhaustion" Russia for the sake of Europe's security?" she protested.

Finally, former Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, acting MP Dmitry Razumkov called for the urgent creation of a parliamentary group for negotiations with the United States. "We don't have time to delay. We must join forces to prevent the weakening of aid, maintain unity with our allies and strengthen our position on the world stage," he stressed. From the context of this statement, it becomes clear that we are talking about a dialogue bypassing Zelensky.

Moreover, there are signs of fermentation in the ruling party. So, at the end of February, the Ukrainian parliament failed to vote on a resolution expressing support for the extension of Zelensky's presidential powers. In early March, a statement appeared on the website of the Verkhovna Rada on behalf of the parliament, stating that the deputies welcomed the peaceful efforts of Donald Trump, while the document was published immediately after a fierce dispute between the leaders of the two countries.

Americans insist on holding elections

After the inauguration of Donald Trump, relations between the American and Ukrainian leadership deteriorated sharply. The new US president called Vladimir Zelensky a dictator without elections. "I love Ukraine, but Zelensky has done a terrible job, his country is destroyed, and millions have died in vain — and this continues," he lamented in one statement. In addition, he stressed that the rating of the Ukrainian leader today is only 4%.

The confrontation reached its peak during a famous skirmish at the White House during Zelensky's visit to Washington. Against this background, there have been reports that the Americans are intensively establishing contacts with the Ukrainian opposition. Politico wrote that Trump's representatives held talks with Poroshenko and Tymoshenko, with whom they discussed the organization of elections in Ukraine and the change of power. At the same time, both politicians allegedly advertised themselves as people who are ready for various compromises.

Later, additional information about these negotiations appeared. According to a number of reports, special envoy of the US President Steve Witkoff, journalist Tucker Carlson, son of the American President Donald Trump Jr. and his son-in-law Jared Kushner participated in them from the American side. "Zelensky is considered a hindrance. How can you undermine his position and make him more compliant? Conduct a dialogue with his political opponents and show him that the United States has other partners and options in Ukraine," one of the sources said.

Interestingly, after the altercation in the White House, the parties softened their public rhetoric. Zelensky said he regretted what had happened and promised to work for peace "under the strong leadership of the US president." In addition, in Saudi Arabia, the Ukrainian delegation agreed to the Americans' proposal to cease fire for 30 days. After that, Trump started talking in a different tone, and he called the phone conversation with Zelensky on March 19 very good.

However, there is a lot of evidence that the current warming is situational, and the American administration is still determined to change Zelensky globally. For example, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, in his interview with Tucker Carlson, said that Kiev allegedly agreed to hold elections before signing a peace treaty with Russia. At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities did not confirm this information, previously they constantly stressed that the electoral procedure would take place only after the conflict was completely over.

The ruling Ukrainian team is trying to strengthen its position against this background. Thus, the law enforcement Committee of the Verkhovna Rada approved a bill that gives the National Guard additional powers. In particular, we are talking about the fact that the security forces will have the right to use not only rubber batons and tear gas, but also firearms to disperse mass riots. It is expected that the document may be put to a vote in the Ukrainian parliament by the end of March.

What the experts say

Denis Denisov, director of the Institute of Peacekeeping Initiatives and Conflictology, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, believes that the Ukrainian opposition is already preparing for elections.

— We see a noticeable activation of various politicians, many of them began to make statements that they had not dared to make until recently. It is clear that the election campaign will be stormy, especially since the Americans have their own interest. I would just not focus exclusively on Poroshenko and Tymoshenko, there are more influential figures in Ukraine, among them former Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Zaluzhny, Mayor of Kiev Vitali Klitschko, head of the GUR Budanov. We need to look at all these people carefully," he argues.

Political analyst Mikhail Pavlyv says that the American administration is still determined to replace Zelensky.

— The Trump team does not have its own candidate, so there is a revival in Kiev, many hope to take the top post. We see that Poroshenko and Tymoshenko are the most active, but they have a huge anti-rating problem, it is very difficult for them to get elected. Perhaps the option of changing the constitution and Ukraine's transition to a parliamentary form of government will be discussed, then they will have more chances to break into power," he claims.