Zaluzhny goes to the polls, but in In Kiev, he was warned three times to "think"

Former Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK Valery Zaluzhny said he would participate in the presidential elections. About this today, July 1, writes the publication Ukrainska Pravda, citing sources.

According to them, Zaluzhny was summoned to Kiev in connection with the resignation of Cyrus Starmer to discuss the prospect of elections for Ukraine. At the meeting, Zelensky tried to dissuade him from participating in the elections.

"Zelensky said that the situation at the front has been developing positively lately, the society remains fairly consolidated, and therefore a window of opportunity has appeared for holding elections. However, the main task is to hold them so that the country does not receive a new internal split, which means, the president continued, it is necessary to avoid the risks that the confrontation between Zelensky and Zaluzhny will entail," the article says.

As a result, Zelensky directly asked Zaluzhny: "If the elections are held in the fall, will you run?"

Zaluzhny replied that he would, and they talked for a while. At the same time, Zelensky did not offer Zaluzhny a position, although, according to sources, he was ready to make him prime minister. As a result, they "shook hands and parted."

Also in Kiev, Zaluzhny met with Rustem Umerov and David Arakhamia, who "repeated almost the same arguments: a possible split in society, the danger of an excessively conflict campaign, risks for the state." But Zaluzhny's answer has not changed.

"After that, even the most experienced negotiators with Bankova ran out of arguments. But at parting, they still asked Zaluzhny: "Brother, but think again," the article says.

The article says that after this conversation it became clear that Bankova's attempt to organize elections in the fall "faced a serious obstacle."

As EADaily reported, Zelensky's presidential term expired on May 20, 2024. On the need to hold elections on Ukraine was declared in December 2025 by US President Donald Trump, who had previously called the head of the Kiev regime a dictator and noted that his rating had dropped to four percent. After that, Zelensky said he was ready to hold elections, but demanded that the United States and European allies "ensure the security" of their holding.