Trump’s Team Reportedly in Quiet Talks With Ukraine’s Opposition as U.S. Pushes Elections

Four senior members of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s circle have engaged in undisclosed discussions with leading Ukrainian opposition figures as pressure grows on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to step aside in a report by Politico on March 6.

According to three Ukrainian lawmakers and a U.S. Republican foreign policy expert, the Trump allies met with former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko  and senior figures from the party of former President Petro Poroshenko . The discussions reportedly centered on the possibility of holding presidential elections in Ukraine, which are currently postponed due to martial law.

The Trump administration maintains that it is not interfering in Ukraine’s internal affairs. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said this week that Trump is not “weighing into Ukrainian politics” and that his primary objective is securing a “partner for peace.”

Trump aides reportedly believe Zelenskyy would lose a potential election due to declining public support and war fatigue. While Zelenskyy’s approval ratings have fluctuated, the most recent polling suggests he remains the leading presidential candidate. A survey conducted by British firm Survation after last week’s Oval Office meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy found that 44 percent of respondents would support Zelenskyy in an election.

The idea of holding elections before full-scale peace negotiations has gained traction within some opposition circles. The Kremlin has also supported early elections, having long sought to remove Zelenskyy from office.

While Tymoshenko and Poroshenko have publicly opposed elections before the war ends, both have reportedly engaged in discussions with Trump’s team. A Republican foreign policy expert familiar with the matter said, “Poroshenko’s people and Yulia, they’re all talking to Trump World, positioning themselves as people who would be easier to work with.”

Tymoshenko’s spokesperson, Natalya Lysova, declined to comment on whether she had been involved in talks with Trump’s representatives. Poroshenko’s European Solidarity party stated that its priority is ensuring “free and fair post-war elections” and that discussions with international figures included “visions for ending the war with a just and lasting peace.”

The U.S. administration’s stance has sparked concern among Ukrainian officials. Trump’s recent decision to pause military aid has added to the uncertainty, prompting further engagement between Ukrainian opposition figures and Trump allies.

Trump has suggested that Zelenskyy “won’t be around very long” if a peace agreement is not reached. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz echoed that sentiment, stating that Washington needs “a leader that can deal with us, eventually deal with the Russians, and end this war.”

Zelenskyy has rejected calls for him to step aside. Over the weekend, speaking to reporters in London, he said that even if elections were held, he would likely win. “You would have to prevent me from participating,” he said.

Oleksandr Merezhko, chair of Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Committee, dismissed the notion of holding elections during wartime. “It’s Putin’s goal. Trump is being used by Putin to impose elections on Ukraine with one purpose: to undermine us from within,” he said.

Earlier on March 5, Macron stated that “the future of Europe should not be decided in Washington or Moscow,” citing the shifting security landscape since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the renewed threat from the east.