Tymoshenko says Zelenskyy is legitimate and Ukraine is sovereign: «Elections in time of war are impossible»

Leader of the «Batkivshchyna» party, MP Yuliia Tymoshenko. Photo: UP

Ukrainian MP and leader of the «Batkivshchyna» party Yuliia Tymoshenko said that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains the legitimate head of state, and Ukraine is a sovereign country, and only Ukrainians have the right to decide when to change the government.

She wrote about this on her Facebook page.

The politician warned that the start of the election campaign at this time would divide society, while the country needs unity and stability. She stressed that no one would allow elections to be held until the war is over, even if some Western allies do not like it.

«Ukraine is a sovereign state! Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the President of Ukraine. He is legitimate until someone else is elected. Only Ukrainians have the right to decide when and under what conditions they change their government. Today, there are no such conditions! Elections in time of war are impossible and immoral, because our military will not be able to take part in them. And without them, elections will never be legitimate. Voting in time of war cannot be called fair either, because the people will not be able to control it. It is suicidal to start an election race during the war, tearing the country into political camps. We need unity and resilience now more than ever. None of us will allow such elections until the war is over. Our enemies and even our allies may not like it, but it is true,» Yuliia Tymoshenko said.

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She stressed that holding elections during the war is impossible and immoral, as the military will not be able to take part in them. In her opinion, voting in such conditions will be illegitimate, and the people will not be able to control the integrity of the process.

«The only sequence that has the right to live is the following: first, peace talks, exclusively with the participation of Ukraine, then — achievement of a just peace, and only then - fair elections with a guarantee of the right to vote for our military. It is not elections that we need to hold immediately,» she said.

According to her, Ukraine should now focus on unity, diplomatic work with allies, mobilising resources for the army and protecting national wealth. She called for a revision of the state budget, elimination of corruption costs and allocation of the released funds for defence.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his support rating among Ukrainians remained high, so he did not see any reason for any changes in his position.

On 18 February, at a briefing following talks between the US and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump said that the level of support for Volodymyr Zelenskyy had allegedly fallen to a record low of 4%.

Following US President Donald Trump's statements, the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology has published a new study on trust in the Ukrainian president. As you know, the US and Russia have developed a peace plan for Ukraine. It includes holding new elections as a key stage in resolving the conflict.

Elections in time of war

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is known to believe that elections in Ukraine are very important, but they can only be held after the hot phase of the war is over and martial law is lifted. He also said that he does not yet know whether he will run in the next election. According to him, everything will depend on the development of the situation in the country and the end of the war.

However, US Presidential Special Envoy for the Russian-Ukrainian War Keith Kellogg said that Ukraine should be ready to hold elections, as it is «a sign of a healthy democracy».

Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klychko also suggested that the fighting could end in two or three months, but that political processes in the country have already been launched. He says that «everyone is already running somewhere, everyone is talking about some kind of elections, and at this time our heroes are dying».

At the same time, the head of the Mykolaiv regional military administration, Vitalii Kim, believes that elections are not needed during the war, but he does not rule out running for office if they are held.

Prior to that, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim, expressed the opinion that elections could take place in the event of a truce and the end of martial law in Ukraine this year. At the same time, he is wary of the possible establishment of military rule in Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainians do not want elections now, as this could lead to the occupation of the territory.