Is Kyiv Preparing for Elections?
The official reason for Zaluzhnyi’s return to Kyiv was a meeting to discuss the political situation in the United Kingdom. A few days before the talks, on 22 June 2026, British Prime Minister and Labour leader Keir Starmer had announced his resignation. Ukrainian officials therefore initially focused on the possible consequences for Ukrainian-British relations.
Zelensky then changed the subject and told Zaluzhnyi that recent developments on the front had created a window of opportunity for presidential elections, with Ukrainian society still sufficiently united.
To prevent internal divisions, the election would have to be organized in a way that avoided the risks of a confrontation between Zelensky and Zaluzhnyi, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
Sources at the Ukrainian news outlet also said Zelensky’s office had been prepared to offer the former commander several alternatives, ranging from diplomatic posts to almost any senior state position, including prime minister. Zaluzhnyi’s blunt answer, however, meant the president never raised those options.
The Ukrainian ambassador in London told his superior that he had “never aspired” to a political career, but “did not want to betray the trust” of those who had expressed a willingness to vote for him in preliminary polls.
Discussions had already begun on Bankova Street, where the president’s office is located, about organizing the next presidential election. The last presidential vote was held in 2019, when Zelensky won. His term was due to end in 2024, but martial law imposed after Russia’s full-scale invasion prevented a new election from taking place.
The ongoing Russian invasion has thus kept Zelensky in office. Now, however, he has raised the possibility of holding elections. Ukrainska Pravda recently reported that he had discussed the issue at a meeting with Kyrylo Budanov, the new head of the president’s office and former head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), and Oleh Tatarov, one of his closest aides.
Who Could Challenge Zelensky?
A longtime intelligence figure, Budanov has repeatedly and skillfully avoided questions about his political ambitions. His profile has risen sharply as Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russian refineries, arms plants, depots and logistics hubs far behind enemy lines.
Recent polls suggest that Zelensky’s support has stopped falling and now stands at around 34%, despite his attempt to bring anti-corruption agencies under his control and a series of corruption scandals. Zaluzhnyi is on 28%, while Budanov is around 12%.
Zelensky’s approval rating falls short of the absolute majority needed to win in the first round. Nor is there any guarantee that he would defeat a challenger from the military leadership in a runoff. Zaluzhnyi’s support has also been drifting lower since he was pushed out as commander-in-chief under pressure from the president’s office and sent to London. As a result, he has largely disappeared from public view.
In February, however, the general still appeared to be the first choice of more than 27% of those surveyed. Budanov, by contrast, is gaining ground.
Zelensky’s approval rating has suffered particularly since last summer, when he brought the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) under the Prosecutor General’s Office, which was itself under investigation at the time. The law was repealed a few days later, but the president’s standing was then further damaged by a major corruption scandal involving his inner circle.
Former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko and Zelensky’s former film-industry colleagues Timur Mindich and Olexandr Cukerman are suspects in the Midas case, which centers on an alleged bribery network. At the heart of it, however, was Budanov’s predecessor, Andriy Yermak.
The scandal has significantly weakened Zelensky, opening the door to generals who may run for the presidency in the fall.
The president’s willingness to organize elections also reflects growing optimism within his administration that the war is moving in Ukraine’s favor and that the country could continue to defend itself effectively under new leadership.
