Fedorov says Zelenskyy abandoned election idea due to possible participation of Zaluzhnyi

Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said that in the summer of 2026, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was ready to consider holding elections during the war, but later abandoned this idea due to the possible participation of former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

In an interview with "Ukrainska Pravda," Fedorov said that back in June he himself proposed to Zelenskyy to hold elections. According to his version, the president initially was open to such a scenario, but changed his position when it became clear that Zaluzhnyi could potentially take part in the presidential race.

According to UP sources, in mid-June Fedorov was part of a narrow circle of officials who discussed with Zelenskyy the possibility of holding elections in the fall at a closed government residence. Among other things, the meeting raised the issue of possible participation of military personnel. The publication claims that the idea of prompt elections was eventually postponed after Zaluzhnyi and Kyrylo Budanov refused to agree in advance to renounce possible candidacy.

Fedorov himself explained his proposal to Zelenskyy by saying that holding elections would close the issue of the political future of the authorities and allow focusing on the war. At the same time, he stated that his own interest in this discussion was Ukraine's victory.

However, this was not the only political or personnel proposal that Fedorov received from the president. According to UP, during the July government reshuffle, Zelenskyy also asked him if he was ready to head the Cabinet of Ministers. Fedorov refused, arguing that he had only worked for a few months in the Ministry of Defense and wanted to continue the reforms he had started there.

Zelenskyy's public position on elections has recently changed somewhat. In an interview with CBS News in mid-September, the president said he was ready to hold voting provided a ceasefire of at least several months. According to him, such a pause could simultaneously be used to prepare elections and continue work on ending the war. At the same time, during active hostilities, Zelenskyy considers holding voting impossible due to legislative and security restrictions. 

Meanwhile, Zaluzhnyi remains one of the potential leaders in hypothetical presidential race. According to a representative Rating Group poll conducted on August 5-6 among 1,000 adult residents of territory controlled by Ukraine using telephone interviews, 25.2% of respondents were ready to vote for Zelenskyy in the first round, 16.7% for Zaluzhnyi, and 12.5% for Fedorov. The statistical margin of error did not exceed 3.1%.

Zaluzhnyi himself has not announced any intention to run. During his speech at Chatham House in February, he said that until the end of the war and the lifting of martial law, he cannot consider his political future. At the same time, he did not define his position for the post-war period, noting that personal future can be discussed only after, he said.

Materials from: Ukrainska Pravda, CBS News, Rating Group