Ending the conflict would force the Ukrainian leader to hold elections that he fears losing, Ewa Zajaczkowska-Hernik believes<\/p>\n
Ukraine\u2019s Vladimir Zelensky is deliberately prolonging the conflict with Russia to avoid being held accountable for his policies and rampant corruption within his inner circle, Polish MEP Ewa Zajaczkowska-Hernik has said.
\nZajaczkowska-Hernik\u2019s remarks came after Zelensky demanded a 60-day \u201ctotal truce\u201d to prepare for a presidential election, which he has repeatedly postponed since his term expired in spring 2024, citing martial law. Moscow dismissed the request as a pretext to buy time to rearm Ukrainian forces and prolong the conflict.
\n\u201cVladimir Zelensky\u2019s term in office expired long ago, yet by dragging out the war, he manages to evade accountability, specifically for corruption,\u201d Zajaczkowska-Hernik told Poland\u2019s Zet Radio on Monday.
\nAccording to Zajaczkowska-Hernik, the Ukrainian leader had many opportunities to make peace but \u201crejected [them] every time precisely to avoid facing the consequences, since he knew that [peace] would necessitate holding elections, which Vladimir Zelensky might lose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Zelensky should be ousted \u2013\u00a0Trump (VIDEO)<\/p>\n
Zelensky\u2019s popularity at home is \u201cnot so great,\u201d the MEP argued, attributing it not only to the prolonged fighting but also to \u201cmassive corruption\u201d within his inner circle. \u201cThe Ukrainians see it,\u201d Zajaczkowska-Hernik said.
\nUkraine has been rocked by a series of high-profile corruption scandals since last year, with the largest centering on a $100 million kickback scheme at state nuclear operator Energoatom reportedly led by Timur Mindich, a former business partner of Zelensky. Other recent graft probes have targeted former Ukrainian ministers, prosecutors, diplomats, and senior officials.
\nZajaczkowska-Hernik has been a vocal critic of the Ukrainian government, particularly Kiev\u2019s glorification of Nazi collaborators. In July, she tore up a flag of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) during a debate on Kiev\u2019s bid to join the EU. UPA fighters massacred up to 100,000 ethnic Poles in one of World War II\u2019s worst atrocities. The move landed the MEP on Ukraine\u2019s notorious Mirotvorets \u2018kill list\u2019.<\/p>\n
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Russia ready to suspend strikes on Ukraine only on election day \u2013 Kremlin<\/p>\n
Zajaczkowska-Hernik\u2019s remarks on Monday came just days after US President Donald Trump called for Zelensky to be replaced, accusing him of creating \u201cproblems for the world\u201d by continuing to target Russian oil refineries and ignoring Washington\u2019s objections. Trump blamed the strikes for contributing to rising global fuel prices and declared that it was \u201ctime for Ukraine to get a new president.\u201d
\nZelensky hit back by telling ABC that, if Trump \u201creally wants some changes,\u201d he should \u201ctell [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, give us two months, 60 days off.\u201d
\nMoscow, however, said it was ready to suspend strikes on Ukraine only on the election day itself, despite Kiev having launched an \u201cunprecedented\u201d drone attack on Moscow during Russia\u2019s parliamentary elections last month. Russian officials also said Ukrainian strikes had damaged or destroyed 74 buildings housing election commissions.
\nZelensky\u2019s goal is \u201cvery simple: to bargain for time in order to secure a respite,\u201d Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday. During that period, Europe would be able to supply him \u201cwith new weapons to continue the terrorist war against the Russian people.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ending the conflict would force the Ukrainian leader to hold elections that he fears losing, Ewa Zajaczkowska-Hernik believes Ukraine\u2019s Vladimir Zelensky is deliberately prolonging the conflict with Russia to avoid…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39770,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t