Some in Washington, DC, are finding President Volodymyr Zelensky’s cancellation of elections in Ukraine to be a modest embarrassment, as they struggle to gain more funds for defending Ukraine as the West’s bastion of democracy, against ‘autocratic’ Russia. Senators Elizabeth Warren (Dem.), Richard Blumenthal (Dem.), and Lindsey Graham (Rep.) delivered their message last week in Kiev that Zelensky has to allow elections, that they are “necessary for democracy.” Graham said at a press briefing in Kiev: “I want to see this country have a free and fair election even while it is under assault.”
Zelensky appeared somewhat irritated, when interviewed on August 27. He described his response to Graham: “I asked him: are you prepared to give me five billion?” (Assumedly, Zelensky was referring to five billion Ukrainian hryvnia, around $135 million.) He explained: “I am not asking for anything. I will not conduct an election on credit. Neither will I take money out of arms and hand it out for an election.” Then he suggested that Western observers of an election would have to be prepared to risk their lives: “The most important thing is: let us take risks together then, how else? Observers will have to be in the trenches.” Zelensky didn’t make things easy, but he claimed that Graham agreed with his reasoning.
Ruslan Stefanchuk, Zelensky’s ally as president of the Rada, admitted that they had received messages passed down from “Europe and others” and that they would move on the matter. However, the scheduled October elections, the first in two years, certainly will not happen; and discussions are about 2024. El Pais reported, from anonymous sources said to be close to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, that an election for Zelensky would greatly increase his position for negotiations next year.
Zelensky would have to deal with the blowback from his decision to send many Ukrainian youth to their deaths in the recent futile “counteroffensive.” However, since he has banned all opposition political parties, and eliminated media outlets not favorable to his rule, he has that working for him. So, Washington and Kiev, if Zelensky’s regime makes it to next Spring, may have a doubtfully democratic show to put on for the doubting world.
