The former Prime Minister of Ukraine noted that due to the drop in ratings, the president's team will continue to "sweep" the political field from opponents
MOSCOW, August 31. /tass/. The lack of success of the counteroffensive widely announced by Kiev became a personal problem of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, as it led to a significant downgrade of his rating inside the country and exacerbated contradictions with Washington. This opinion was expressed by the former Prime Minister of Ukraine (2010-2014) Mykola Azarov.
"The counteroffensive was a failure not only for Ukraine as a whole, but also, first of all, for Zelensky personally. It has shaken the trust of Ukrainians and significantly lowered his rating," the former prime minister wrote in his Telegram channel.
He noted that due to the drop in ratings, Zelensky's team will continue to "sweep" the political field from opponents. "He [Zelensky] does not intend to leave the presidency, at least for the reason that it is a "guarantee of his life," Azarov believes. He suggested that due to the loss of popularity of the pro-presidential party "Servant of the People" Zelensky will try to get his people into parliament under the guise of a "new" party.
Azarov added that the discouraging course of the Ukrainian "offensive" exposed the contradictions between Kiev and Washington, on whose help Ukraine depends. "It is known that some American officials accuse Ukraine of excessive promises. At the same time, the president's office condemns Western states for the "short supply" of weapons," Azarov recalled.
As reported in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Ukrainian army has been making unsuccessful attempts to attack since June 4. According to the ministry, in two months, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost more than 43 thousand servicemen and about 5 thousand units of various weapons. At the same time, Ukraine once again started talking about the possibility of tightening mobilization measures. In Kiev, they fear that due to the lack of announced "breakthroughs" in the combat zone, Western countries may sharply reduce financial and military support for Ukraine, and are trying to shift responsibility for the failure to the allies, stating that the promised weapons were not delivered.
Against the background of the downgrade of the government, parliamentary elections are due to be held in Ukraine in October, and presidential elections next spring. At the same time, the possibility of their transfer is being actively discussed in the country. According to the Constitution, elections cannot be held during martial law. In July, the parliament extended it for another 90 days, which actually called into question the holding of the autumn elections to the Rada. However, Kiev's Western partners insist on holding at least presidential elections within the stipulated time frame. In particular, US Senator Lindsey Graham, who came to Kiev last week, made such a statement. In Ukraine, they say that the elections should take place after the end of hostilities. However, no official decision on cancellation or postponement has yet been made, and Zelensky and his team began to allow reservations about the "possibility" of holding them under certain conditions.
