Leaders Of Opposite Banks Proposal For Elections In Wartime

Support for Ukraine/PHOTO via Instagram @mfa_ukraine

JAKARTA - The opposition leaders of Ukraine dismissed proposals to hold elections during wartime.

This affirmation comes after media reports on contacts between them and US officials and after President Donald Trump called his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator" for not holding elections.

Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko said on Thursday, March 6, his team was working with the US "mitra" to maintain support for Ukraine, but opposed elections in times of war.

In a written statement published on Telegram, Poroshenko said the general election should only be carried out after peace is reached.

Reported by Reuters, Poroshenko said the vote should have been held no later than 180 days after the war ended.

Yuliia Tymoshenko, another opposition leader, said his team "is talking to all our allies who can help secure a fair peace as soon as possible," and said elections should not be held before peace is reached.

Politico reported on Wednesday that four senior members of Trump's entourage held discussions with some of Zelenskyy's main political opponents.

The talks were held with Tymoshenko and senior member of the Poroshenko party, who served as president from 2014 to 2019, Politico reported citing three Ukrainian lawmakers and an expert on foreign policy from the US Republican Party.

Discussions are focused on whether Ukraine can hold a presidential election quickly, according to the report.

Washington has now stopped military aid and shared intelligence information with Kyiv in surprising measures following Zelenskyy's public spat with Trump in the Oval Room last week.

Zelensky called the heated debate "regrettable" and said he was willing to cooperate with the new US president to achieve peace.

Moscow, which invaded Ukraine three years ago, claims Zelenskiy is invalid because his five-year term ends in 2024.

However, based on Ukrainian law, elections cannot be held in times of war.

Zelenskyy instead offered to vacate his post in exchange for NATO peace and membership.

Meanwhile, the political competition between Poroshenko and Zelenskiy has been going on for years.

Last month, Zelenskyy approved sanctions against Poroshenko for what the country's domestic spy agency described as "national security reasons", without providing details. Poroshenko said the move was politically motivated.