On March 6, 2025, Politico reported that four senior members of “Trump’s entourage” tried convincing Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko and members of former president Petro Poroshenko’s party to hold an early presidential election to oust President Volodymyr Zelensky. The date these meetings began is unknown.
U.S. officials asked the parties to force an election to take place after a temporary ceasefire is agreed to, but before Zelensky and Putin begin long-term peace negotiations. This plan has also been promoted by Elon Musk on X / Twitter, as well as the Russian government in recent weeks.
Following this report, the Trump administration denies such talks and claims not to be meddling in Ukrainian politics. Representatives from both Ukrainian parties confirm meeting with the Trump administration. Both party leaders have previously refused to violate their country’s constitution, which states that presidential elections cannot be held during times of war. Will they change their mind for Trump, or for power?
Poroshenko’s people and Yulia, they’re all talking to Trump World, positioning themselves as people who would be easier to work with. And people who would consent to many of the things that Zelenskyy is not agreeing to.
A top Republican foreign policy expert speaking with POLITICO
Politico’s sources include three Ukrainian parliamentarians and a U.S. Republican foreign policy expert. Throughout the story, the four Team Trump members are referred to as “senior members of Donald Trump’s entourage,” “Trump allies,” “Trump aides,” and “Trump officials.” This might suggest that some in the group are Trump Administration officials while others may be White House aides or not employed by the U.S. government at all (like Elon Musk).
Trump has labeled Zelenskyy as a “dictator without elections” and suggested that he might not remain in power for long unless he reaches an agreement with Russia. Meanwhile, Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, has inaccurately claimed that Kyiv canceled an election. Following Gabbard’s claim, Elon Musk tweeted that Ukraine should hold an election, predicting that Zelenskyy would lose by a landslide. Polling in Ukraine suggests otherwise.
