Newsletters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that public dissatisfaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin will continue to grow ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for September.
Speaking through the social media platform X, Zelenskyy claimed Ukrainian intelligence agencies had obtained documents that reached Putin’s desk while arguing that the Russian leader rarely received fully accurate information.
Even so, he said the documents provide insight into domestic political trends in Russia.
“Russians’ dissatisfaction with Putin will continue to rise steadily,” Zelenskyy said, adding that it “will not plateau” before the September parliamentary elections.
He also claimed that support for Russia’s ruling United Russia party is showing a “steady downward trend,” suggesting that “significantly greater electoral fraud” would be needed to secure the desired outcome.
Zelenskyy said intelligence reports also indicate growing protest sentiment across Russia.
“We believe these reports also do not yet take into account the potential events of June, July and August, which are bound to further affect the situation in Russia,” he said, arguing that Putin could face “significantly worse indicators” by the time elections are held.
The Ukrainian president also accused Moscow of rejecting Kyiv’s peace initiatives.
“Unfortunately, to all the public and non-public peace proposals we have made, the only response has been words about continuing his war,” Zelenskyy said.
He argued that developments inside Russia should encourage Putin to seek a negotiated settlement.
“Ukraine is proposing to negotiate a dignified peace. Obviously, the trends will not change, and over time this may mean that an agreement will have to be reached with someone else from Russia—someone who will not shut themselves off from reality,” he said.
Moscow has not yet responded to Zelenskyy’s remarks.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
