Zelenskyy said he is not holding on to the presidential post and will not allow Putin to influence the electoral process
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has no intention of staying in power and is ready to hold elections provided that safe and democratic conditions are created. At the same time, he stressed that Ukraine will not allow the Kremlin to influence the upcoming electoral process. The head of state said this in an interview with Polish media — TVP, PAP and Polish Radio.
According to Zelensky, he directly made his position clear to his partners in the US.
“My reaction to signals from the US was very open: I said that I have no intention of holding on to the presidential seat under any circumstances. Of course, if the possibility of holding proper, decent and democratic elections is ensured,” the president emphasized.
He noted that holding elections during martial law requires changes to the legislation, and the key challenge remains the safety of citizens. According to him, it is necessary to ensure that “people are not simply killed when they come to the polling stations.”
The president also drew attention to the mood in society.
“If you ask Ukrainian citizens whether they want these elections and whether they are ready for them, then (…) undoubtedly, everyone is afraid of holding elections in wartime, undoubtedly, no one can imagine how this can be done safely and honestly,” Zelensky said.
Commenting on Vladimir Putin’s statements, the president of Ukraine noted that the position of the Kremlin leader is contradictory. “There are many Putins”, — Zelensky noted, adding that “one talks to the Americans, another makes speeches, the third does something else.” He also drew attention to the absurdity of the Kremlin’s demands for the participation of Ukrainians from the entire territory of the country in the elections, in particular from the temporarily occupied regions, which Russia itself calls “occupied.”
Zelensky emphasized that Putin does not have enough control over the elections in Russia itself, and now he seeks to influence Ukrainian processes as well. “We will not allow anyone to control us”, — the head of state emphasized.
