Trump’s entourage secretly discussed elections with Zelenskyy’s opponents - Politico
Four of Donald Trump's associates held secret talks with representatives of the Ukrainian opposition. They discussed the presidential election.
This is reported by Politico, Censor.NET informs.
The journalists cite unnamed Ukrainian parliamentarians and a US foreign policy expert from the Republican Party.
According to the publication, the talks took place with the leader of the "Batkivshchyna" party, Yulia Tymoshenko, and the fifth president, the leader of the "European Solidarity" party, Petro Poroshenko.
"The discussions centered on whether Ukraine could hold quick presidential elections. These are being delayed in line with the country’s constitution because Ukraine remains under martial law. Critics of holding elections say they could be chaotic and play into Russia’s hands, with so many potential voters serving on the front lines or living abroad as refugees," Politico writes.
Both Tymoshenko and Poroshenko have publicly opposed holding elections before the fighting ends. However, a Politico source said that their people are positioning themselves "as people who would be easier to work with" and "people who would consent to many of the things that Zelenskyy is not agreeing to."
The publication asked for a comment. Tymoshenko's spokeswoman, Natalia Lysova, responded to the question of whether she had indeed participated in talks with Trump's team. "We won’t comment on that yet," she said.
The press service of the "European Solidarity" party said: "Our narrative is not to push for elections but to secure free and fair competitive post-war elections in our country."
Trump's entourage did not respond to the comments.
As a reminder, the day before, Donald Trump said that elections should be held in Ukraine, as Zelensky's approval rating had dropped to 4%.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the issue of holding elections in Ukraine is a format of pressure.
