Trump called for elections in Ukraine and criticized Zelensky's rating.
Former US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that presidential elections should be held in Ukraine, highlighting the possibility of potentially replacing Volodymyr Zelensky here.
“We are in a situation where elections are not being held in Ukraine, where martial law has been imposed, which is actually a form of martial law,” – Trump said at a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago resort. He made these comments after the US delegation completed negotiations with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia.
Trump criticized Zelensky's rating, claiming “his supporters are only 4%”. However, recent polls show the Ukrainian president's rating to be above 50%.
Why are no elections being held in Ukraine?
Presidential elections were scheduled for April 2024, but have been canceled due to the imposition of martial law since Russia's full-scale attack in February 2022.
In 2023, Zelensky stated that holding elections at the moment is not appropriate. In his opinion, under the current conditions, political competition could intensify, which might negatively affect the country's defense.
Trump noted that Ukrainian officials did not participate in the 4.5-hour negotiations between Russia and the US representatives in Saudi Arabia.
The Ukrainian President Zelensky expressed his "surprise" at a press conference in Turkey that representatives of the country waging war for almost three years were not invited to this meeting. “Why weren't the representatives of the country that has been at war for almost three years invited?” – he said.
Trump responded by saying: “If they wanted to participate in the negotiations, shouldn't the Ukrainian people say: 'We haven't had elections for a long time, we need to talk about this'?”
“This is not a demand from Russia,” – said Trump. “This is an idea coming from me, and many other countries also believe that elections should be held in Ukraine. Ukraine is disappearing.”
Is the conflict between Trump and Zelensky escalating?
Zelensky previously stated that Russia is trying to push for new elections in Ukraine as part of a peace agreement and refuses to accept it as an “ultimatum”.
Recently, Trump's views about Zelensky have changed. They cooled down significantly after he spoke on the phone with Vladimir Putin and following his team's negotiations with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia.
Trump said: “I may like Zelensky personally, but personal relationships are not important to me.”
“What's important for me is getting the job done. The current leadership allowed the war to happen, which should not have happened at all.”
Trump accused Zelensky of misusing financial aid
Trump expressed doubts about how the funds allocated by the US to Ukraine are being spent.
“Where is all the money we're giving going? In which direction? I have never seen a report on it. We give hundreds of billions of dollars, but no report. I want to see peace.”
Moreover, Trump controversially stated that Ukraine “started” the war. This statement does not align with the facts of Russia launching missile attacks on Ukrainian territory and initiating a full-scale invasion.
Abdullah Sayyid
