Trump team holds secret talks with Zelensky's political rivals / US to deport 240,000 Ukrainian refugees

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): While Washington is increasing its pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to step down, Zelensky's rivals are holding talks with US President Donald Trump's team.

 

In this regard, the Politico magazine revealed in a report that four senior members of Donald Trump's circle have held secret talks with some of Zelensky's prominent political opponents in Kiev, while Washington has aligned itself with Moscow in its efforts to oust the Ukrainian president.

 

According to three Ukrainian lawmakers and a Republican foreign policy expert in the United States, these top Trump allies have held talks with Yulia Tymoshenko, the Ukrainian opposition leader and former prime minister, as well as with senior members of the party of former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

 

The talks have focused on whether Ukraine can hold early presidential elections. The elections have been postponed in accordance with Ukraine’s constitution because the country remains under martial law.

 

Critics of the election say the process could be messy and could end up in Russia’s favor, as many potential voters are either on the front lines of the war or living abroad as refugees.

 

Trump advisers are confident that Zelensky will lose any election because of public fatigue from the war and public dissatisfaction with widespread corruption. In fact, Zelensky's popularity has declined in recent years, although his popularity has slightly increased after the recent Oval Office brawl, in which Zelensky was forced to leave the meeting after being reprimanded by President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.

 

However, according to ISNA, the latest polls show that Zelensky is still leading the presidential race by a wide margin.

 

The official position of the US government is to show that Trump is not interfering in Ukrainian domestic politics.

 

This week, US Commerce Secretary Howard Latnick denied allegations that Trump is interfering in Ukrainian politics, claiming that the US president is "only looking for a partner for peace,"

 

writes the Politico website, but the behavior of Trump and his officials suggests otherwise. Trump has called Zelensky a “dictator without an election,” and U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has “falsely” accused Kiev of rigging the election.

 

But while the Trump camp hopes Zelensky will lose, he remains significantly more popular than Tymoshenko and Poroshenko. According to a poll conducted this week by the British think tank Cervity, 44 percent of Ukrainians said they would support Zelensky in the presidential election.

 

His closest rival, more than 20 percent behind, is Valery Zalozhny, a former army chief and current Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom. Only 10 percent of respondents supported Poroshenko, known as the “Chocolate King” for his chocolate empire. Tymoshenko received just 5.7 percent.

 

Behind-the-scenes negotiations

A key point in all plans being considered through unofficial channels, according to Politico, is that Ukraine’s presidential elections would be held after a temporary ceasefire is agreed upon, but before full peace talks begin in earnest.

 

The idea of ​​early presidential elections is also supported by the Kremlin.

 

Both Tymoshenko and Poroshenko have publicly opposed holding elections before the end of the war, as has Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

 

“However, supporters of Poroshenko and Yulia Tymoshenko are talking to the Trump world, presenting themselves as people who would be easier to work with. And there are also people who are willing to agree on many of the issues that Zelensky opposes,” a senior Republican foreign policy expert told Politico.

 

When Tymoshenko was asked if she had been involved in discussions with members of the US administration or Trump’s entourage about the presidential election or peace talks, her spokeswoman, Natalya Lysova, thanked Politico for following up and said, “We are not commenting on this at the moment.”

 

Politico also contacted Poroshenko’s European Solidarity Party to ask about their discussions with Trump’s entourage about the election. Poroshenko’s press office responded, saying, “Our goal is not to push for elections, but to ensure free, fair and competitive elections after the war in our country. It is also logical that any communication would include the views of President Poroshenko and the European Solidarity Party on ways to end the war with a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace, as well as the scope of possible compromises in the negotiations.”

 

The American outlet also contacted four members of Trump’s entourage who are said to have been involved in the talks, but did not receive a response.

 

For several days, Trump administration officials have suggested that Zelensky should step down unless he fully agrees to a U.S. plan for a quick end to the war, even if it includes major concessions from Ukraine.

 

Since last week’s heated White House standoff, The “Zelensky must go” theme has intensified, with his domestic political opponents implicitly and publicly indicating that Ukraine’s relations with Washington are vital and must be restored. This stance is seen in Kyiv as an indirect criticism of Zelensky, who has now said he regrets last week’s violent clash and is ready to work with Trump to achieve peace.

 

“We are seeing some political factions moving,” said Ruslan Bortnyk, director of the Ukrainian Institute of Politics.

 

“They are trying to establish informal contacts or use their connections with the Republican Party or Trump’s entourage to show their willingness to work with Washington. They are also sending messages publicly, although their tone is very soft. But they are showing by their independent behavior that they are ready to continue playing Trump’s game.”

 

“The political elite is very confused and shocked, because they know very well that without U.S. support, Ukraine will fail,” Bortnik added.

 

Several party and faction leaders this week said that Ukraine’s priority should be to mend ties with Trump. They include Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speaker of Ukraine’s parliament and a member of Zelensky’s ruling party, as well as Dmytro Razumkov, who led the party to victory in the 2019 parliamentary elections but is now running as an independent.

 

Trump’s decision to withhold military aid to Ukraine has added to political concerns in the country and intensified behind-the-scenes negotiations between Ukrainian politicians and the Trump team. On Monday, Trump said in a sharp tone that Zelensky “won’t last long” if progress is not made on a peace deal that satisfies him.

 

Meanwhile, a Trump administration official and three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Trump administration is planning to revoke the temporary legal status of about 240,000 Ukrainians who fled to the United States during the Ukraine war.

 

According to Reuters, the Trump administration’s move would put them on the fast track to deportation from the United States.

 

According to the report, the move follows a recent spat between Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance and Zelensky in the White House.

 

The sources said the move is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to revoke the legal status of more than 1.8 million immigrants who were allowed to enter the United States under temporary admission programs established under the Biden administration.

 

US Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.