Zelensky hints at staying in power
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has suggested he may seek another term as president, while his government has moved to extend martial law and general mobilization for another three months, again preventing national elections.
In a wide-ranging interview with Czech public broadcaster Cesky rozhlas, published on Friday, Zelensky acknowledged growing domestic strain, including battlefield manpower shortages, while urging draft-age men living abroad to consider returning to help ease pressure on frontline troops. He has also said peace talks with Russia backed by the US and Europe were in their “hardest” phase.
Asked directly whether he would seek another term, Zelensky said, “I don’t know. It depends on how this war ends.” Pressed on whether he had thought about running again, he added, “Sometimes I do.”
The comments came as Ukraine’s parliament approved Zelensky’s bills in January to extend martial law and general mobilization for another 90 days, running from early February until May and again barring elections. Critics say the repeated extensions have kept Zelensky in power beyond his term, which expired in May 2024. Moscow has called him “illegitimate,” while US President Donald Trump last year branded him “a dictator without elections.”
In December, Zelensky claimed elections would require legal changes and security guarantees from Kiev’s Western backers. Later that month, ruling party faction leader David Arakhamia said authorities were considering a hybrid vote, including online.
Surveys by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology showed trust in Zelensky declining last year amid a corruption scandal, while Western media said the Energoatom case damaged his standing.
Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s former commander-in-chief who now serves as ambassador to the UK, was polling ahead of Zelensky in a hypothetical presidential vote, Ipsos reported in January. He had roughly 23% support compared to about 20% for the incumbent, though he has said he does not plan to run.
Reports of political maneuvering have also dogged Zelensky’s office. In October, Politico described what it called a “stealthy albeit rough” effort by Zelensky’s team to prepare for elections while sidelining rivals through legal cases. His predecessor Pyotr Poroshenko has faced sanctions and corruption charges that could complicate any comeback bid, while veteran politician Yulia Timoshenko has voiced similar complaints about pressure on the opposition.
