Behind the president’s back Trump team reportedly holding talks with Zelensky’s political rivals to discuss possible early elections in Ukraine

As the Trump administration continues to push for a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine by pressuring Kyiv to make major concessions, top allies of the U.S. president have reportedly met secretly with key opponents of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the possibility of early elections in Ukraine. Trump’s pursuit of the idea comes despite the fact that Ukrainian law forbids elections during martial law, which has been in effect in the country since February 2022 due to Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Four senior aides to U.S. President Donald Trump have held secret talks with top political opponents of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Politico reported on Thursday, citing Ukrainian lawmakers and an American foreign policy expert.

The sources claim the Trump allies met with two prominent Ukrainian parliament members: Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the Batkivshchyna party and former prime minister, and Petro Poroshenko, leader of the European Solidarity party and Ukraine’s fifth president.

During the talks, Politico writes, the parties discussed the possibility of holding early presidential elections in Ukraine. Such a vote would reportedly take place after a temporary ceasefire agreement but before full-scale peace negotiations begin.

Additionally, sources told Ukrainian outlet Strana.ua that Trump’s representatives have met with former Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, and Verkhovna Rada deputy Davyd Arakhamia, head of the ruling party’s faction in parliament.

Politico notes that Trump’s cabinet officials have repeatedly suggested Zelensky should step down if he doesn’t fully support Trump’s plan to end the war quickly at the potential cost of major concessions from Ukraine. Trump’s team reportedly believes that Zelensky would almost certainly lose in an election.

A survey of Ukrainian voters conducted in early March by the British polling firm Survation found that 44 percent of respondents would vote for Zelensky. Zaluzhnyi, his closest rival, trailed the incumbent president by more than 20 percentage points. Poroshenko had the support of 10 percent of respondents, while only 5.7 percent said they would vote for Tymoshenko.

Earlier in March, Zelensky argued that removing him from office would be hard due to his popularity. “Replacing me won’t be easy because it’s not enough just to hold elections. You’d have to prevent me from participating — and that would be a bit more difficult,” he wrote on X.

Under Ukrainian law, no elections can be held while the country remains under martial law. Throughout the war, Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly extended martial law, most recently until May 9, 2025.