Despite Ukraine being at war, the topic of future Ukraine elections, both presidential and parliamentary, is becoming increasingly relevant. Politicians in Ukraine and its allied nations are already beginning to prepare for potential changes.
On September 16, Dmytro Chernyi, a Member of Parliament from the “Servant of the People” party, wrote that the IX convocation of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) is nearing its end, with only one, or at most two, sessions remaining until its work concludes.
Future Ukraine Elections and Political Landscape
Ukraine’s last presidential and parliamentary elections were held in 2019. In peacetime, both the president and members of parliament are elected for a five-year term. The 2024 elections were slated to be the eighth since the country gained independence in 1991. However, holding them proved unrealistic and impossible due to the martial law imposed in Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Ratings
Currently, no politician has officially announced their intention to run, yet their names consistently appear in public opinion polls.
When asked, “Who would you vote for if the Ukrainian presidential elections were held next Sunday?”, respondents named the following politicians:
Volodymyr Zelenskyy (President of Ukraine) — 35.2%
Valerii Zaluzhnyi (Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK, former Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces) — 25.3%
Petro Poroshenko (leader of the “European Solidarity” party, former President of Ukraine) — 5.3%
Kyrylo Budanov (Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR)) — 4.5%
Yulia Tymoshenko (leader of the “Batkivshchyna” party, former Prime Minister of Ukraine) — 3.4%
☛ IRI-commissioned Poll, August 25, 2025
Volodymyr Zelenskyy — 31%
Valerii Zaluzhnyi — 25%
Petro Poroshenko — 6%
Kyrylo Budanov — 6%
Dmytro Razumkov (former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, former head of the “Servant of the People” party) — 4%
Yulia Tymoshenko — 3%
Andriy Biletskyi (Member of Parliament of the VIII convocation) — 3%
Oleksiy Honcharenko (Member of Parliament of Ukraine) — 3%
Volodymyr Zelenskyy — 30.9%
Valerii Zaluzhnyi — 27.7%
Petro Poroshenko — 6.3%
Dmytro Razumkov — 5.4%
Kyrylo Budanov — 5.2%
Andriy Biletskyi — 4.9%
Yulia Tymoshenko — 4.8%
“Shadow Diplomacy” and American Interests
Information regarding behind-the-scenes negotiations has sparked particular interest. Following the widely reported disagreement at the White House between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump, American authorities reportedly explored alternatives to President Zelenskyy, according to The Guardian, citing unnamed sources. These sources indicated that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance called Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who reportedly declined to speak.
In March of this year, Politico reported, citing four high-ranking officials from the U.S. President’s entourage, that Americans had secretly met with and discussed the possibility of presidential elections with Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the “Batkivshchyna” party, and members of former President Petro Poroshenko’s party. According to the publication’s sources, Trump’s inner circle believes that incumbent President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cannot win the elections, whereas Tymoshenko and Poroshenko have a realistic chance.
Yulia Tymoshenko, who twice served as Ukraine’s Prime Minister, did not confirm Politico’s information. However, she noted that her team is in negotiations with all allies “who can ensure a just peace as soon as possible.” She emphasized that “holding elections in Ukraine is ruled out” until the war ends. Poroshenko made a similar statement.
It is worth noting that since then, relations between Trump and Zelenskyy have improved. Meanwhile, Poroshenko has become the leader of the “anti-rating” in Ukraine, according to results from a joint study by three sociological institutions: the Janus Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts, the SOCIS Center for Social and Marketing Research, and the monthly publication “Public Mood Barometer.” Approximately 79.6% of Ukrainians either distrust or completely distrust Petro Poroshenko. Only 5.5% of respondents fully trust the leader of “European Solidarity.”
