Election plan and generals' ambitions: Zelenskyy tries to keep the military out of politics
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a closed-door meeting to discuss holding presidential elections this autumn, but faces a potential challenge from two influential generals, Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Kyrylo Budanov, whose candidacies threaten his re-election.
In mid-June, a confidential four-hour meeting took place at a government residence outside Kyiv. Attendees included President Zelenskyy, Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov, Deputy Head Oleh Tatarov, parliamentary faction leader Davyd Arakhamiia, Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, and National Security and Defence Council Secretary Rustem Umierov. Notably absent were Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko and Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk.
The final half-hour focused on elections and politics. Participants discussed whether to hold presidential elections in the autumn, when to hold them, and who might run. Discussions were based on fresh confidential polling showing that while Zelenskyy leads in the first round with about 33% support, he would lose to Zaluzhnyi in a runoff (32% to 37%) and barely beat Budanov (34% to 32%, within the margin of error).
The meeting aimed not only to decide on elections but also to gauge whether Budanov could be persuaded not to run. Arakhamiia and others proposed that Budanov could become Parliament Speaker after the elections, gradually building his political influence. However, Budanov gave no direct answer, neither accepting nor declining. Sources say he wants to preserve his options, especially since Zaluzhnyi remains a potential candidate.
Attention then shifted to Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, who was summoned back to Kyiv. During a one-on-one meeting, Zelenskyy asked directly if he would run. Zaluzhnyi replied, "Yes. I will." Further persuasion by Umierov and Arakhamiia, who argued about the risk of societal division, did not change his mind. They asked him to "think it over one more time," but to no avail.
The positive trend in Zelenskyy's ratings, driven by recent military successes, had encouraged the team to consider early elections. However, without guarantees that at least one of the two generals would not run, the election plan faces a serious obstacle.
