Senior members of President Donald Trump's team have secretly met with Ukrainian opposition figures, reportedly discussing ways to push President Volodymyr Zelenskyy out of office as tensions between Washington and Kyiv escalate, according to a report.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has relied heavily on U.S. military and financial support. Under Trump's presidency, however, relations have soured, with his administration pushing for a rapid end to the war, even if it requires Ukrainian concessions to Russia, Politico reported.
Zelenskyy has resisted pressure to negotiate under unfavorable terms. Meanwhile, opposition figures like former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and former President Petro Poroshenko could be positioning themselves as more cooperative alternatives.
In recent weeks, four high-ranking Trump allies have held undisclosed meetings with Tymoshenko and members of Poroshenko's party, discussing the possibility of holding early presidential elections in Ukraine, several sources told the outlet.
Currently, elections are suspended due to martial law, and many believe a rushed vote would be strategically beneficial to Russia. Despite added concerns, Trump's team appeared confident that Zelenskyy would lose.
The talks align with the Kremlin's long-standing goal of removing Zelenskyy, and Trump himself has accused the Ukrainian president of being a "dictator without elections."
Both Tymoshenko and Poroshenko pushed back against the idea that they wished to hold elections during wartime, with Poroshenko saying in a statement to Politico, "We work publicly and transparently with American partners, aiming to preserve bipartisan support of Ukraine."
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