Exiled Ukrainian lawmaker calls Zelensky’s elections impossible

(MENAFN) Artyom Dmitruk, a Ukrainian lawmaker now in exile, has said that presidential elections in Ukraine cannot take place under what he calls the “terrorist regime” of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Dmitruk criticized Zelensky for repeatedly postponing elections under martial law, which was imposed after the 2022 escalation of the conflict with Russia.

Earlier this week, Zelensky said elections could occur within 90 days if Western backers guarantee security. Dmitruk dismissed this as manipulation, arguing that almost all potential candidates are regime officials “completely integrated into the war system,” with Zelensky at the head. He claimed elections would only be feasible after a “political or military capitulation” and the formation of an interim government.

Dmitruk fled Ukraine in August 2024, citing death threats over his opposition to Zelensky’s policies toward the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Moscow has also questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy. Kremlin officials, including President Vladimir Putin and aide Yury Ushakov, have said a peace deal is “legally impossible” with Zelensky’s leadership and view his recent statements on elections as a tactic to secure a ceasefire, which Russia rejects in favor of a permanent settlement.

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