Putin pushes election scenario not to bring new leadership to Ukraine — politician

He shared his opinion in an interview with Antin Borkovskyi, host of the Studio West program on Espreso TV.

"Putin is pushing for an election scenario not because he wants a new government in Ukraine, nor because of the legitimacy of Zelenskyy himself. He is hoping that the elections will tear us apart from within, which is why massive resources will be invested in this. It’s hard to believe that Putin could manage to install a pro-Russian president like Medvedchuk, Arestovych, or some other nonsense like that into the presidency of Ukraine. It's impossible. But Putin is hopeful - if the political process starts under such conditions, where security is not guaranteed, it opens up the maximum opportunity for him. Right now, cars are burning, and young people with backpacks are blowing themselves up at the Territorial Centers for Recruitment. Just imagine the scale of this when the election campaign begins," said Oleh Rybachuk.

In his opinion, Ukraine, particularly Zelenskyy, needs to emphasize that Ukraine has never needed convincing about the necessity of elections. Therefore, the focus should be on how to ensure that Ukrainians can vote democratically and safely, and what is required for this. It’s also important to discuss the need to bring back international organizations, such as the OSCE and the Venice Commission, and deploy the necessary infrastructure. We must think together about how to ensure there are no threats to these elections, explore ways to finance them, and so on.

"These issues should be put on the table and said: 'Let’s find a formula together to hold fair and democratic elections.' This is not in Putin's interest, but it would remove the issue of claims that Trump openly tells Zelenskyy — that the attempt to delay elections after the official declaration of a ceasefire would indicate that Zelenskyy desperately does not want to lift martial law and wants to extend his stay in power. Ideally, it would be perfect if Zelenskyy said that he is ready to fulfill his commitment and not run for a second term," the politician concluded.

• U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling him a "dictator without elections" whose approval ratings are declining.