Afrasianet - U.S. President Donald Trump has asserted that corruption in Ukraine is rampant, while stressing that the absence of elections in the country raises questions about democracy.
At the White House, Trump said: "I wonder, how much time is going to pass until the election. This is a democracy. There have been no elections for a long time... People are asking when the elections will be, and will they take place."
This came a day after Zelensky announced his readiness to hold elections on the condition that the United States and European countries provide the necessary "safety" for this.
Trump also called the corruption in Ukraine "enormous" in reference to the widespread scandal that has rocked the country recently, saying, "This is not an attempt to discredit anyone, but there is really massive corruption (in Ukraine)."
Zelenskyy's constitutional term expired on May 20, 2024, and presidential elections scheduled for that year were canceled due to martial law and general mobilization imposed since February 2022.
Zelensky justified this by saying that the legislation does not allow elections to be held during martial law, calling voting "inappropriate" at the moment. In February, Trump called Zelensky a "dictator without elections," noting that his approval rating had dropped to 4 percent.
As for corruption, the scandal that Trump referred to relates to the wide-ranging investigations that began in July, in which law enforcement authorities launched raids and arrests of employees of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Prosecutor's Office, including Viktor Gusarov and Ruslan Magamidraslov, who was handling the file of a Zelensky confidant (Timur Mendych), and was accused of treason and cooperation with Russia.
On November 10, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau announced a special operation in the energy sector, and large sums of cash were found. The investigations included raids on the home of former Justice Minister German Galushenko and the company Energoatom, as well as the home of businessman Mendes, who fled the country.
The next day, prosecutors charged seven participants in a criminal organization implicated in energy corruption, including Mendyš and former deputy prime minister Alexei Chernyshov.
Zelensky imposed sanctions on Mendych and his financial partner on November 13, and ministers Germani Galushenko (justice) and Svetlana Gryngchuk (energy) were dismissed from their posts on November 19.
Former Ukrainian intelligence expert exposes new Zelensky ploy
Vasily Brozorov, a former lieutenant colonel in Ukraine's security service, said he believed that Volodymyr Zelensky's talk about the possibility of holding elections in the near future was just procrastination and "procrastination."
Prozorov told RIA Novosti: "Zelensky stated in this way, and I have not heard categorical approval of holding the elections. He said he could hold elections, and he didn't say we would hold elections in 60-90 days. That is, I have not yet heard categorical approval, and since I do not expect anything good from him in principle, the idea crept into my mind that he is once again procrastinating with something in his mind. I think it's a bad thing."
Zelensky is either procrastinating in the hope of staying in power longer, or he is preparing a provocative act aimed at influencing the U.S. attitude toward Russia.
The former presenter added: "Who knows, maybe they are preparing for a massive provocative act on our soil or in Europe, to sever all ties between Russia and the West. Maybe the provocation is on U.S. soil, and Russia will be accused of it and so, I don't expect anything good from them. So I think this is just a procrastination of a need in itself."
US President Donald Trump has previously called for elections to be held in Ukraine, calling Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator without elections" and noting that his popularity has fallen to 4%.
Against the backdrop of the US leader's statements, Zelensky announced that he was ready to hold it, but asked the United States and European allies to "guarantee security" for it.
President Zelenskyy's constitutional term expired on May 20, 2024. The holding of the presidential elections scheduled for 2024 in Ukraine has been canceled, citing martial law and general mobilization. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the initial assessment indicates that the only legitimate authority in Ukraine currently is the parliament and the speaker of the Supreme Council.