Zelenskiy Courts Potential Challengers With US Calling for Vote

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(Bloomberg) — In the wake of a damaging corruption scandal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is increasingly reaching out to potential political rivals as the prospect of an election becomes more likely.

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On Thursday, Zelenskiy spoke with the man widely regarded as his biggest contender, former commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who’s now Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK. Relations between the two soured in 2024 after the failure of Ukraine’s counteroffensive the previous year culminated in the general’s ouster.

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Earlier this week, the president also disclosed that he’d met other high-profile figures who are seen as having the potential to enter politics. Those included Serhiy Prytula, a former TV presenter whose charity donates to the armed forces, and popular nationalist activist Serhiy Sternenko.

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The flurry of meetings is a sign that Ukraine’s president may be maneuvering to secure his position in post-war politics. What unites all of Zelenskiy’s recent interlocutors is their popularity and their roles as potential challengers in a vote, an analyst said.

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“There is no doubt that this is happening in the context of potential presidential elections,” Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta Research Institute in Kyiv, told Bloomberg in a phone interview. 

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Fesenko said the object of the president’s meetings may be to try to bolster his reputation by associating himself with popular public figures. Zelenskiy may also be trying to improve ties with potential opposition leaders or attempting to draw them into his own camp as allies, according to the analyst.

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Zelenskiy’s outreach efforts come as Ukraine discusses a peace plan with the US to be presented to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The 20-point blueprint obliges Ukraine to hold presidential elections as soon as possible after a ceasefire is reached — a demand echoed by US President Donald Trump. Putin has so far shown no willingness to end the full-scale invasion, which is approaching its fifth year.

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Ukraine can’t hold elections under martial law. But with the vote a recurring topic in US-led peace negotiations, Zelenskiy recently asked lawmakers to work on legislation that would make it possible, albeit after a ceasefire.

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That prospect comes at a delicate time for Zelenskiy. Although the president still enjoys the trust of most Ukrainians, his public image has recently taken a hit from the largest corruption scandal of his term in office.

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At the end of last year, anti-corruption detectives disclosed an investigation into the misuse of funds earmarked for the defense of energy infrastructure. It implicated several people from the president’s inner circle, triggering the resignation of Zelenskiy’s influential top aide Andriy Yermak. 

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Zelenskiy then unexpectedly appointed military intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov as Yermak’s successor as head of the presidential office. 

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Budanov, one of the nation’s most popular wartime figures, had become known as the mastermind of audacious attacks deep inside Russian territory.

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Yermak’s departure made the recent flurry of meetings possible, according to a person familiar with the matter. The president chose the format to be able to talk directly to different people and glean information from them, the person said.