Donald Trump is doing everything in his power to get rid of Zelenskyy and bring the conflict between Ukraine and Russia to an end, but now that the wartime leader is not bowing to his outrageous demands, the administration is using back channels to prop up Zelenskyy’s rivals and sow dissent in the country’s domestic affairs.
Last week’s show at the White House sent a clear message to Europe: The continent can no longer rely on U.S. aid in the war against Russia. No one still knows what went down during the talks in Riyadh between the United States and Russia, but the second Trump administration has since doubled down on its rhetoric against Ukraine, with Trump calling Zelenskyy a “dictator,” humiliating him during his visit to sign a major mineral deal last week, and withholding vital military aid to the East European country. Yesterday even brought the rumor that the government was looking to expel the 240,000 Ukrainian war refugees currently displaced in the United States, which, if true, would irrevocably mark a new low for Trump and his strong-arm tactics.
Now, according to a report by Politico, several members from Trump’s top advisors have been holding talks with Zelenskyy’s rivals Yulia Tymoshenko and Petro Poroshenko. The former is an ambitious stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2005 and again from 2007 to 2010. Poroshenko is Zelenskyy’s predecessor, having occupied the role of president from 2014 to 2019. While he and Zelenskyy see eye to eye on many issues, including Russia — with Poroshenko famously appearing on TV holding a Kalashnikov rifle during the invasion — Trump’s aides have also approached him to discuss the possibility of holding a quick presidential election during a ceasefire, effectively taking away Zelenskyy’s job.
Both Poroshenko and Tymoshenko have publicly opposed holding elections while the country is at war. Trump wanting to get rid of Zelenskyy with a ceasefire could easily amount to a political coup, not to mention play into Putin’s hand, who has been wishing for years to get rid of Zelenskyy and his Cabinet.
With the publication of this story, Poroshenko and Tymoshenko both released statements defending their activities, with the former claiming he has repeatedly offered to mediate talks between Zelenskyy’s office: “We work publicly and transparently with American partners, aiming to preserve bipartisan support of Ukraine. We have repeatedly spoken publicly about the lack of communication in the ruling team with the U.S. administration, which poses a risk to the state.”
After last week’s brawl — for lack of a better word — at the White House, many of Zelenskyy’s political opponents have been pressuring him to step down or restore the good relations with Trump. According to what Ruslan Bortnik, the head of the Ukrainian Institute of Politics, told Politico, “we are seeing some political factions starting to move” and that these are “trying to establish informational connections” with the GOP or Trump’s own team.
“They are also signaling publicly, too, although their words are very soft. But they’re displaying independent behavior to show Trump they’re ready to play his game,” he added.
If Zelenskyy doesn’t submit to Trump’s demands, the president is planning to look to people who will, though what that will entail for Ukraine and its political landscape in the coming weeks is anyone’s guess at this point.
