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Over three years of war, Ukraine’s initial unity had started to wear thin, as old frictions and political spats reemerged. But after Trump’s false claims this week that Ukraine is led by a “dictator” who started the war with Russia, even some of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s harshest critics have rallied around him and feelings of unity have surged again.
“Yes, he’s not a perfect president, but he’s not a dictator,” said Kateryna Karaush, a 25-year-old tech worker from Kyiv who like many Ukrainians — and even some Republicans in Congress — is struggling to wrap her head around Trump’s embrace of Russia, which represents a major about-face in U.S. foreign policy. It feels like the whole world is against us,” Karaush said.
“We may have different opinions about Zelenskyy, but only Ukrainian citizens have the right to judge his support,” said Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a lawmaker from the opposition party Holos. “And to publicly criticize him too, because, in the end, he is our elected leader.”
“We have a president whom we support. During war, we are united,” said Larysa, a 52-year-old resident from the northeastern city of Kharkiv, who refused to give her last name due to security concerns.
Speaking from the front lines, some Ukrainian soldiers said they were not panicking yet, and not ready to give up the fight. “Even if we don’t get enough weapons or if funding is cut, that doesn’t change our duty to (fight),” said a Ukrainian officer who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military rules. “No shells? We’ll take up rifles. No rifles? We’ll grab shovels.”
“Elections are not needed right now because they should only take place when we understand the framework of (a peace) agreement with Russia,” said Volodymyr Ariev, a lawmaker from the opposition European Solidarity party. “Holding elections now would only benefit the Kremlin, further dividing Ukrainians and installing a new president who could sign a deal favorable to Moscow.”
“Holding elections before a peace agreement with security guarantees is signed would be devastating for Ukraine,” said Valerii Pekar, a professor at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School. “The U.S. and Russia are now united in promoting the idea of ‘elections first, then peace’ — which is the quickest and cheapest way to bring Ukraine down.”
Ukrainians Rally Around Zelenskyy After Trump Seeks to Denigrate Him | AP News
Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko defended President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump called him incompetent and a dictator, accusing him of refusing to hold elections. Tymoshenko took to social media to express her support for Zelenskyy and offer reasons why Ukraine should not hold elections during the war. “Elections during a war are impossible and immoral, because our military will not be able to participate in them. And without them, elections will never be legitimate,” she wrote.
Ukrainian Opposition Leader Backs Zelenskyy
The majority of Ukrainians appear to agree. Two of Zelenskyy’s main political rivals, Petro Poroshenko and Yulia Tymoshenko, have publicly rejected the idea of wartime elections as impractical and illegitimate. Ukraine’s vibrant civil society has also voiced its opposition to the return of elections before a peace agreement has been signed. Meanwhile, a new opinion poll conducted in February 2025 found that 63 percent of Ukrainians are against holding any national votes until the war with Russia is over.
Ukrainians Are Proudly Democratic But Resoundingly Reject Wartime Elections - Atlantic Council
Poroshenko offered no criticism of the failure to hold an election, saying it could not be done "while there is no peace".
Ukraine Opposition Leader Poroshenko Seeks Softer Diplomacy to Achieve Peace | Reuters
Genuinely think Trump believes that the rest of the world worship him as much as a large portion of Americans do and thus he can say whatever he wants without realising or being capable of understanding that shit like this only unites the country he is attacking and thus backfires, Zelenskyy's approval rating will only increase thanks to Trump and like I said, if Zelenskyy goes it will likely be because they want someone even more aggressive in dealing with Russia, a military general like Zaluzhnyi.
Last edited by Ryuu96 - 1 day ago
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