Ukraine's ambassador to Great Britain and former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has announced his intention to participate in the presidential elections.
Modern.az reports that "Ukrainska Pravda" wrote about this, citing sources.
According to the publication, Zaluzhnyi also revealed his intention to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Although the formal reason for Zaluzhnyi's recent summons to Kyiv was stated to be the resignation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the meeting with him was actually held to clarify the issue of elections. Zelenskyy stated that it is necessary to avoid the risks that their confrontation in the elections could create.
"If elections are held in the fall, will you be a candidate?" - Zelenskyy is reported to have asked Zaluzhnyi.
"Yes. I will be," Zaluzhnyi replied to the president.
According to the information, Zelenskyy did not offer Zaluzhnyi other career options during the meeting.
According to "Ukrainska Pravda", Zaluzhnyi told Zelenskyy that he did not want to be a politician, but that "many people placed their hopes in him" and he could not ignore their trust.
Shortly after the former commander-in-chief's meeting with Zelenskyy, Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, and David Arakhamia, head of the parliamentary faction of the ruling "Servant of the People" party, were sent to him. They spoke about possible public division, risks for the country, and "dangers of a confrontational election campaign." However, Zaluzhnyi's position did not change.
In February, "Financial Times" wrote that Ukraine had begun preparations for presidential elections, which were planned to be held together with a referendum on a peace agreement with Russia. The newspaper noted that these plans emerged after US President Donald Trump called for elections in the country.
In early March, Zelenskyy stated that elections in the country would not be held during a ceasefire, but only after the conflict with Russia ended.
"I am not at all sure that I will be a candidate. I will look at what Ukrainians want," he added.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow currently recognizes Zelenskyy as the "de facto head of the regime" in Ukraine and is ready to meet with him in this capacity. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that peace documents must be signed by legitimate representatives of the authorities.
A.Gorkhmaz
