Election Speculation Is Back in Ukraine: Why Now, and What Comes Next?

For about two and a half years now, at least, we've been talking and speculating about Zaluzhny being the political challenger to Zelensky, being sort of the main opposition leader.

And finally, this is something that is now official.

Or as close to official as can be, given that campaigning is not open.

He's still ambassador.

How do you deal with all the Ukrainians who are abroad, right? There's no way to open enough consulates or sort of voting places across Germany, Czechia, Poland.

You also need willing partners.

This is Ukraine and we've had surprises before.

And I think there's a lot of thinking in Zelensky's team right now, which is how can we rush through this process? Because if we just believe, if we manifest a rapid electoral process.

Maybe we can manifest it the same way that we manifested HIMARS and Abraham's tanks and F-16s and apparently Patriot missiles, although I have my doubts about how quickly we will see those.

So, you know, just this approach of manifesting reality, which I think, I mean, Donald Trump's got to look at that and just be incredibly jealous because his team keeps trying to manifest things and not succeeding.

But Zelensky's team just makes reality happen.

For about two and a half years now, at least, we've been talking and speculating about Zaluzhny being the political challenger to Zelensky, being sort of the main opposition leader.

And finally, this is something that is now official.

Or as close to official as can be, given that campaigning is not open.

He's still ambassador.

How do you deal with all the Ukrainians who are abroad, right? There's no way to open enough consulates or sort of voting places across Germany, Czechia, Poland.

You also need willing partners.

This is Ukraine and we've had surprises before.

And I think there's a lot of thinking in Zelensky's team right now, which is how can we rush through this process? Because if we just believe, if we manifest a rapid electoral process.

Maybe we can manifest it the same way that we manifested HIMARS and Abraham's tanks and F-16s and apparently Patriot missiles, although I have my doubts about how quickly we will see those.

So, you know, just this approach of manifesting reality, which I think, I mean, Donald Trump's got to look at that and just be incredibly jealous because his team keeps trying to manifest things and not succeeding.

But Zelensky's team just makes reality happen.