Similarity of positions: Kiev is afraid that Trump and Putin will want the resignation of Zelensky - Politico

Special Representative of US President Donald Trump on Ukraine and Russia, Kit Kellogote has recently stated that in most democratic countries, elections are held even during the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that he did not recognize President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky as a legal leader of the country.

Kiev, for its part, fears that holding elections at this stage will jeopardize the unity of Ukraine and open it for Russian influence destabilization campaigns, the media said. The former Ukrainian minister, under the conditions of anonymity, stated that the similarity of the position of Washington and Moscow on elections in Ukraine is concerned. "I consider it as the first proof that Trump and Putin agree that they want the resignation of Zelensky," the source said.

According to the interlocutors, Kellogg and other White House officials have put forward the idea of ​​"pushing Ukraine to consent to the polls" within the initial armistice with Russia. Trump's special representative was a supporter of concluding a just peace agreement for Ukraine, using American power to pressure Moscow. He argued that the US should continue to send military assistance and provide security guarantees to prevent further aggression of the Russian Federation, Politico reports.

Political experts call into question the expediency and possibility of holding elections in Ukraine in the conditions of constant shelling of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and a significant outflow of the population. "Ukraine has to hold the next election when it will be able to guarantee security and democratic standards. This cannot be guaranteed during the total war," says analysts in the International Election Fund, Peter Erben and Gio Kobakhidze.