Ukraine’s president is under growing pressure. Here are 5 things to know
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s president is facing a problem combination of crises testing his ability to lead an increasingly exhausted nation into a devastating, full-scale invasion by Russia for almost four years.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has struggled for more than a week to contain the fallout from a $100 million corruption scandal involving top officials and other associates. Pressure on Zelenskyy increased with US pressure an offer He made an agreement with Russia that required this Big concessions from Ukraine – and apparently very few from Russia – to put an end to war.
All of this is happening as Russia slowly but steadily advances along parts of its 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line and relentlessly bombs Ukraine’s power plants. serious power outage As cold weather approaches.
Here are five things you need to know about the increasing pressures Zelenskyy faces.
Facing a rebellion
Zelenskyy has faced a revolt from lawmakers in his own party since the country’s corruption watchdogs revealed $100 million was embezzled from the energy sector through kickbacks paid by contractors.
After investigators made their findings public, Zelenskyy dismissed two senior officials and imposed sanctions on them. close friends. It was reported that Timur Mindich, one of Zelenskyy’s collaborators involved in this plan, fled the country. Mindich is a partner in a media production company that Zelenskyy co-owned before becoming president.
Some Ukrainian lawmakers and activists are calling on the president to fire powerful military chief Andrii Yermak.
Investigators have accused neither Zelenskyy nor Yermak of abuse of power. But since Yermak is widely believed to decide on key government appointments and have a say in high-level political issues, lawmakers believe he should assume responsibility as a way to regain public trust.
The Servant of the People party, led by Zelenskyy, won more than two-thirds of the seats in parliament in 2019. But some politicians warn that if he does not part ways with Yermak, a split in the party or a number of party defections could lead to Zelenskyy losing his majority in parliament.
Independent political expert Mykola Davidiuk said many of Zelenskyy’s political allies felt something had to change, even if they had not publicly expressed their concerns. Davidiuk said one of the main criticisms of Zelenskyy’s government is that too much power is concentrated in the hands of Yermak and his advisors.
“Zelenskyy’s management style is not working,” he said.
Davidiuk said how decisively Zelenskyy reacts to the corruption scandal will determine whether the incident will damage Ukraine’s standing with its allies.
Zelenskyy’s grip on power is not at risk anytime soon
Russia’s invasion triggered martial law in Ukraine, postponing presidential and parliamentary elections indefinitely.
So even if Zelenskyy’s grip on parliament weakens and his popularity declines, he is unlikely to be unseated unless he voluntarily resigns while the war continues.
Ukraine’s presidential term is normally five years, and before the war the next elections were scheduled for spring 2024.
The mounting political challenges facing Zelenskyy could strain his ability to pass any potential peace deal negotiated with Russia through parliament. If he seeks re-election after the war, his chances may be diminished if Yermak is still involved, political analysts say.
A former general is seen as a rival but rejects his political aspirations
No elected Ukrainian opposition figure poses a valid threat to Zelenskyy. Former Ukrainian president and current opposition lawmaker Petro Poroshenko has failed to expand his support beyond his small core loyalist base. Attempts to impose a vote of no confidence in the Ukrainian government also failed. He garnered less than half of the 150 votes needed.
One potential opponent could be Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s former chief of staff, who led several successful counter-offensives in the first year of the war and was fired by the Ukrainian president in late 2023.
Zaluzhnyi now serves as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom
Zaluzhnyi denies any intention to enter politics, but polls in Ukraine show him theoretically in competition with Zelenskyy, keeping alive speculation that he could be persuaded to run in the next election.
US and Russia are devising a plan to end the war in Ukraine
The United States and Russia have drawn up a plan aimed at ending the war in Ukraine and calling for major concessions from Kiev, including meeting some of the demands the Kremlin has made repeatedly since its invasion in early 2022, according to a draft obtained by The Associated Press.
The plan calls for Ukraine to cede territory to Russia and for Kiev to limit the size of its army.
As part of the offer, Russia would be given effective control of the entire eastern Donbas region, a region Moscow has long sought, although it still controls parts of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy had previously rejected the same conditions, calling them unconstitutional and unfair. His office said Thursday that it had formally received the plan but did not comment on its contents.
Reports about the plan emerged as Zelenskyy faces growing unrest over a corruption scandal. “The timing is very detrimental for Ukraine,” said Orysia Lutsevych, a Ukraine expert at Chatham House.
“Zelenskyy is vulnerable. Both the US and Russia saw the internal scandal and decided to put more pressure on him to submit to a Russian plan,” Lutsevych said. However, the efforts may not turn out as predicted, the official said, noting that European allies have come to Ukraine’s defense and opposed the plan.
Pressure on the front lines and across the country
In this context, Russia’s better-equipped army has increased its attacks on energy facilities on the front line and in the rear, putting even more pressure on Ukraine.
The Russian army continues to advance steadily in many areas. In the northeastern Kharkiv region, Russian forces are pressing on the cities of Kupiansk and Lyman, which Ukraine recaptured from Russia in the first year of the war. But the fiercest battles are around the besieged Pokrovsk city in UkraineAn important logistics center of the Eastern Donetsk region.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s power plants in November led to some of the worst power outages since the beginning of the war.
