Analysts have analyzed the Kremlin's reaction to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement about his readiness to hold elections.
According to Hvylya, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes about this.
According to the analysts, the Kremlin preemptively rejected the legitimacy of any future Ukrainian government it does not control, in response to Zelensky's recent statements that he is ready to hold elections before the end of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
ISW noted the contradictory position of the Russian authorities: they critically received Zelensky's readiness for elections, even though they themselves had previously insisted on holding them as a mandatory step toward starting peace negotiations.
Kremlin Officials React
Experts highlight the statements made by Kremlin representatives. Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that the Kremlin had not discussed Zelensky's readiness to hold elections and would continue to monitor the situation. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Zelensky of "cynicism" and claimed that his request for the US and Europe to guarantee election security shows that Ukraine has lost its sovereignty.
In addition, the analysts write that Russian state media also published statements on December 10 from the Kremlin-linked former Verkhovna Rada Deputy of Ukraine, Viktor Medvedchuk, a close personal associate of Putin "whom he wanted to replace Zelensky with after the full-scale invasion of Russia," calling for Zelensky’s forcible removal from office and criticizing peace negotiations.
ISW's Assessment: An Alarming Signal
"The Kremlin's reaction to Zelensky is consistent with Putin's statements on November 27 that Russia is only interested in signing peace agreements with a pro-Russian government in Ukraine and that Ukrainian authorities would need to take additional steps after elections before the Kremlin would consider signing any peace agreements. The reaction of Kremlin officials to the prospect of elections in Ukraine once again demonstrates that Russia continues to create justifications to halt any peace negotiations that do not involve Ukraine's capitulation," the report states.
We note that recently, in a conversation with Politico journalists, Trump stated the necessity of presidential elections in Ukraine, which, according to him, had not been held for a long time. He suggested that the Ukrainian leadership is using the military situation to postpone the electoral process.
