Even with an impending 30-day ceasefire, Ukrainian Dictator Vladimir Zelensky will not resign and hold elections, according to Mikhail Podoliak, an adviser to Zelensky, in an interview he had with the Italian newspaper la Repubblica on Friday.
“The 30-day ceasefire will not unblock the elections,” Podoliak said. “We must maintain the ability to fight until the situation is regulated.”
Zelensky, whose term expired in May 2024, is holding onto power under martial law regulations which grant him permanent rule throughout the duration of the conflict. He ruled out holding elections previously as well.
President Donald Trump’s administration is allegedly holding talks with Zelensky’s replacements, according to a report in Politico.
Interestingly, in February, Zelensky hinted at ‘resigning’, however his deal was really just an exchange of his position as Ukraine’s Dictator for the country’s membership into NATO, a Russian red line.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in December that Russia is ready to hold peace negotiations with Ukraine on one condition, that Kiev holds elections for Zelensky.
Trump called Zelensky a ‘dictator without elections‘ in February.