Trump told reporters on Saturday that it was time for Ukraine to get a new president, accusing Zelenskyy of failing to end the war. The remarks deepen a pattern of public friction between the two leaders, and came as Zelenskyy accused Russia of violating an energy ceasefire announced by Trump.
Zelenskyy's five-year presidential term expired in 2024, but Ukraine's constitution and martial law grant him a wartime extension. Responding to Trump's comments, Zelenskyy proposed holding a vote if Russian President Vladimir Putin guaranteed a 60-day ceasefire. Analysts note that many Ukrainians want renewed political leadership but are reluctant to hold elections before the war is over.
Kyiv-based analysts say the most probable challenger would come from the military. "If the elections are held fast, one of the former military [commanders] is Zelenskyy's most probable rival," Igar Tyshkevych told Al Jazeera.
That rival is widely expected to be Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's former top general and current ambassador to the United Kingdom. Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta think tank, called him "the most probable alternative to Zelenskyy, his most dangerous competitor who can defeat him in the election." An October 8 poll by the Rating Group found 64 percent of Ukrainians trust Zaluzhnyi.
Zaluzhnyi's standing rests on his 2022 military triumphs: after defending Kyiv in the early weeks of the full-scale invasion, he led counteroffensives that returned 40 percent of Russian-controlled territory. He was dismissed in 2023 after a long-anticipated summer counteroffensive yielded no results. The 53-year-old has stayed silent on postwar questions such as Ukraine's economic restoration.
Tyshkevych said older heavyweights, including former President Viktor Poroshenko and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who faces a corruption investigation, do not stand a chance.