Zelenskiy Courts Potential Challengers With US Calling for Vote

In the wake of a damaging corruption scandal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is increasingly reaching out to potential political rivals as the prospect of an election becomes more likely.

On Thursday, Zelenskiy spoke with the man widely regarded as his biggest contender, former commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who’s now Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK. Relations between the two soured in 2024 after the failure of Ukraine’s counteroffensive the previous year culminated in the general’s ouster.