Does Trump, like Putin, also want to keep Zelensky out of the peace negotiations?
Moscow has joined Washington in calling on Ukraine to hold elections, sparking concern in Kiev as it tries to fend off the ongoing Russian invasion.
This surprising alignment has rekindled fears in Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking to pit Kiev and Washington against each other on how to proceed to end the war.
Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, said: “In most democracies, elections are held even in times of war. I think that's important. I think it's good for democracy. The beauty of a strong democracy is to have more than one potential candidate.”
A former Ukrainian minister, who was granted anonymity to be able to discuss this sensitive subject freely, told Politico that “the alignment on elections between Washington and Moscow is worrying” adding, “I see it as the first proof that Trump and Putin agree that they want Zelensky to go.”
(MH with AmBar/Source: Politico/Photo: DPA/Anadolu/Jakub Porzycki)