Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff, conservative media figure Tucker Carlson, and Donald Trump Jr. have been in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's political opposition, Politico reported on Wednesday.
The high-ranking Trump allies have been speaking with Ukrainian opposition leader and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko as well as senior members of ex-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's party, Politico reported, citing three Ukrainian parliamentarians and a Republican foreign policy expert.
The talks centered around potentially triggering a presidential election in Ukraine. The country has delayed elections in accordance with its constitution because Kyiv has instated martial law due to the ongoing conflict within its borders.
The Trump administration believes that Zelensky would lose in a potential election because of war fatigue in the country. The US president previously called the Ukrainian president a “dictator without elections” who “has done a terrible job," echoing Kremlin talking points.
Trump calls Zelensky a dictator
While Zelensky's ratings have gone down over the course of his presidency, his recent spat with Trump and his Vice President JD Vance bolstered his approval ratings, the New York Times reported.
British independent pollster Survation reported that nearly 44% of those polled intend to vote for Zelensky in the next election, which would put him comfortably above any other candidates.
Zelensky dismissed the notion that he would step down unless it was in exchange for NATO membership in his country and reportedly intends to run in the next Ukranian election. “You would have to prevent me from participating in the elections,” he told reporters in London earlier in March, Politico reported.
Both Tymoshenko and Poroshenko have publicly stated their opposition to holding elections during the hot conflict and haven't recently criticized Zelensky for his relations with the US.
Poroshenko, Zelensky’s immediate predecessor and noted critic, said that any criticism after the ill-fated Washington meeting was inappropriate.
“Some people expected me to criticize Zelensky,” he said, as reported by the New York Times. "But no, there will be no criticism because that’s not what the country needs right now.”
A Republican foreign policy expert, who spoke to Politico on the condition of anonymity, said that Zelensky's opposition was still moving to show Trump advisors that they could be easier to work with.
“Poroshenko’s people and Yulia are all talking to Trump World, positioning themselves as people who would be easier to work with. And people who would consent to many of the things that Zelenskyy is not agreeing to,” the expert said.
Both politicians confirmed their conversations with Trump's allies but again confirmed that elections should not be held during the war.
Tymoshenko said her team was speaking with allies “who can help ensure a just peace as soon as possible.”
Poroshenko critiqued Zelensky's "lack of communication with the Trump administration" but also stated his opposition to elections at this time.
“We work publicly and transparently with American partners, aiming to preserve bipartisan support of Ukraine,” he said, as reported by Politico.
"The essence of our conversations with representatives of the American side has always been down to two principles — security first and peace through strength. Namely weapons, intelligence, sanctions against Russia, financial support, democratic resilience (freedom and democracy), and transatlantic unity. Our team has always been and is adamant against elections during a war.”