RT reported that US President Donald Trump said Ukraine may have to hold elections and affirmed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not actually popular with the people.
This comment was made by Mr. Trump just a few hours after negotiations on how to end the conflict between senior US and Russian officials took place on February 18 in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Trump said: "He (December Zelensky) has only 4% support" and emphasized that not only the people in the country but many other countries are also wondering why Ukraine has not yet held elections while Mr. Zelensky's term ended last year.
According to RT, Zelensky's support had reached 90% in the first months of the conflict with Russia in 2022, but has since declined to 50% due to losses on the battlefield and prolonged economic problems.
Last month, Ukrainian media cited a Socis poll that showed only 40% of Ukrainians still trust Mr. Zelensky, while nearly 72% trust former Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny, who is now ambassador to London.
For Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on February 18 that Russian President Vladimir Putin was ready to negotiate with Zelensky, but only when the controversial issue of the Ukrainian leader was resolved.
Previously, Mr. Putin had stated that Russia did not consider Mr. Zelensky legitimate when he became President of Ukraine because his actual term ended in May 2024.
Meanwhile, President Zelensky affirmed that he is completely afraid of holding elections at the present time, but if he does so, it will spark a wave of protests from the people, causing Ukraine to be divided.
According to Mr. Zelensky, Ukrainian law only allows elections to take place when martial law is lifted.
