Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Valeriy Zaluzhny, categorically rejected the possibility of his participation in the presidential elections during the war, during a speech in London on February 23. The diplomat emphasized that issues of domestic policy should not become the subject of international discussions.
He made the relevant statement during an international conference at Chatham House. According to Zaluzhny, now is extremely inappropriate to discuss his possible participation in the election race, as the country is in a state of war.
" It's very bad when Ukraine's internal politics reach the international level - it should be taboo. As of today, I have no opportunity to think about it ," he emphasized.
Zaluzhny noted that he is fully focused on fulfilling diplomatic and military-political tasks related to strengthening international support for Ukraine. According to him, personal political ambitions in the conditions of martial law are secondary.
A surge in discussions about Zaluzhny's possible political plans arose after his interview with the Associated Press on February 18. In it, the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine linked the failures of the 2023 counteroffensive to the decisions of the state's top leadership, stating that Ukrainian forces were not provided with sufficient resources to form a powerful strike group. According to him, the forces were dispersed, and the late start of the operation allowed the enemy to strengthen its defenses.
MP Mariana Bezugla publicly reacted to these statements. She called the interview "the start of an election campaign" and suggested that such statements may indicate an intention to participate in the upcoming elections. At the same time, Zaluzhny in the same interview denied preparing for a political race and stated that he refused the services of foreign political strategists so as not to provoke a split in society.
In addition, the diplomat previously stated that martial law, in his opinion, should have been introduced before the start of a full-scale invasion — in January or early February 2022. According to him, the corresponding proposals were not supported at that time.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded by expressing his indignation that the details of the internal discussions of 2022 had become public. In particular, the issue was Zaluzhny's account of the SBU search in the fall of 2022, which, according to him, took place in the presence of foreign military specialists.
Despite the resonance surrounding the statements, Valeriy Zaluzhny himself insists: during war, the key task is to consolidate efforts to strengthen defense capabilities and international support, rather than participate in political competition.
