Trump allies secretly met Zelenskyy’s rivals as pressure mounts on Ukraine: Report

By Fatma Zehra Solmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - Four key members of US President Donald Trump’s inner circle have reportedly engaged in secret talks with leading political opponents of Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv as Washington is aligning with Moscow to push the Ukrainian president out of office, according to US-based media outlet, Politico.

Three Ukrainian lawmakers and a US Republican foreign policy expert said senior Trump allies met Ukrainian opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and top figures from the party of Petro Poroshenko, Zelenskyy’s predecessor.

Discussions focused on the possibility of holding an expedited presidential election in Ukraine.

Elections, however, are currently postponed because of constitutional restrictions under martial law. Opponents of the elections argue that proceeding under current conditions could lead to disorder and benefit Russia, given that many voters are serving on the front lines or have been displaced abroad as refugees.

Trump's aides believe Zelenskyy would lose an election due to war fatigue and corruption concerns. Though his ratings have declined for years, they rose after last week’s Oval Office clash where Trump and US Vice President JD Vance berated the Ukrainian leader before showing him the door. The latest poll, however, places Zelenskyy comfortably ahead.

The US denies interference, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stating that Trump is not “weighing into Ukrainian politics” but seeking a “partner for peace.”

Trump has called Zelenskyy a “Dictator without Elections,” while Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard falsely claimed Kyiv canceled the vote.

Despite Trump’s hopes, Zelenskyy remains more popular than his rivals as a Survation poll after the White House dust-up showed 44% support for the Ukrainian president, with Valery Zaluzhny trailing by more than 20 points. Poroshenko polled at 10%, and Tymoshenko at 5.7%.

Tymoshenko, Poroshenko and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko oppose elections before the war ends. But a Republican expert told Politico that “Poroshenko’s people and Yulia, they’re all talking to Trump World,” positioning themselves as easier partners who “would consent to many of the things that Zelenskyy is not agreeing to.”

Trump’s Cabinet has suggested Zelenskyy step down unless he aligns with the US plan, including major concessions.

After last week’s White House war of words, Ukrainian “elites are feeling very disoriented and shocked” and are “trying to establish informal connections” to signal they are “ready to play (Trump’s) game,” said Ruslan Bortnik, director of the Ukrainian Institute of Politics. “Without United States support, Ukraine will be defeated.”

Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Committee, told Politico’s Power Play podcast that elections would serve “only to Moscow’s benefit.”

He argued that “Trump doesn’t care” about Ukraine’s elections but is being used by Russian President Vladimir Putin to push them to “undermine us from within” and weaken Ukraine’s unity and stability during war.