Quotes
Ukraine should hold its next elections at a time when the country can guarantee the security and democratic standards of those elections. [This] cannot be guaranteed during the current all-out war,
said Peter Erben and Gio Kobakhidze of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems non-profit An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections.”
It was a move that prompted a withering rebuke from then-Senator John McCain, who chastised Trump, saying Yes, that might be the case.”
Asked if there could be protests against a bad deal or problems with the army, she replied It is simply wrong and dangerous to deny President Zelenskyy’s democratic legitimacy. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the elected head of state of Ukraine. The fact that proper elections cannot be held in the middle of a war is in line with the requirements of the Ukrainian constitution and electoral laws. No one should claim otherwise.”
Elections had, indeed, been due last year, but as Germany’s outgoing chancellor noted I do not see how Paris and London can support a text that is so far from their stated positions on Ukraine, but I also do not see how they can veto it,
Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group told AFP We must not forget, that the war still continues every single day, with large-scale attacks, more killings of civilians, destruction of homes and critical infrastructure and new displacement happening,
Elisabeth Haslund, UNHCR representative for Ukraine, told The Independent It’s Ukraine that decides whether she wants to fight or not, ... You know what happened in Munich in ’38? Czechoslovakia was dictated to, but that was because Czechoslovakia wasn’t ready to fight alone and didn’t have allies. Ukraine is fighting and rather successfully defeated the Russians at sea, for example, and has allies. We in Europe have said that we will continue to support Ukraine come what may.”
Ukraine, remember, has 110 brigades in the field,
I think every new administration always takes a bit of time to find its feet and to assess the full information from intelligence agencies and so on, and is talking to allies,
The scary part of that is that there is only one source he could have heard this from, and that is the Russians. No one else would claim anything like that, because his level of support is way higher than that. It's over 50% like it or not."
There's some of the rhetoric coming out of Kyiv, frankly, and insults to President Trump that were unacceptable."
Everyone will be accusing each other of being at fault at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion,
said Oleh Saakyan, co-founder of the National Platform for Resilience and Cohesion, a civic group Putin hates Zelenskyy because he ruined his plans to subjugate Ukraine. And he dreams of getting a pro-Russian candidate after a grueling war.”
Sergey Lagondinsky, a member of the European Parliament for Germany’s Green Party who grew up in Russia in Soviet times, wrote recently Only after the end of the war and the achievement of a stable peace … will it be possible to organize elections freely, fairly, democratically, and accessibly,
Who can run a campaign in a time of war?”
We have Russian-occupied territory where people will not be able to vote and will not be able to make their own choice,
The president’s seat right now is an electric chair,
The troops of Nato countries [in Ukraine] under a foreign flag – an EU flag or any national flag … is unacceptable.”
After talks with the US in Saudi Arabia, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov made clear the Russian position Trump has conceded upfront and ahead of any talks with Ukraine what could have been part of a more balanced deal in the end,
Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank, said in a note Thursday Washington has signaled willingness to consider several Russian demands that undermine Ukraine's long-term security, while the bilateral format and thawing U.S.-Russia ties raise concerns about a ceasefire deal that may be highly unfavorable for Ukraine. Trump's criticism towards Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is driving anti-American sentiment in Ukraine and heating up Transatlantic tensions,
he said in emailed comments
