Who will bring peace and stability to Ukraine?
Author: Talib Aliyev, analyst, exclusively for Sangar
The five-year presidential term of Volodymyr Zelensky expired in May 2024. In an interview with the American outlet Axios on September 25, 2025, he stated that he was ready to leave his post after the end of the conflict with Russia and would also initiate elections in Ukraine if a ceasefire regime were established.
At the same time, his chances of retaining power through a nationwide vote are minimal, given the growing protest potential of the population caused by widespread military defeats, gross miscalculations by Kyiv in foreign and military policy, heavy losses on the frontlines, “total mobilization,” economic degradation, and the impoverishment of the people.
At the same time, Zelensky is highly likely to come under attack from far-right forces and nationalist-minded military opposition, who will perceive any peace treaty with Russia as nothing less than a betrayal of national interests.
In its attempt to cling to fading power at any cost, Kyiv turns essentially “noble” humanitarian actions—such as the mutual release of detainees and the exchange of fallen soldiers’ bodies—into subjects of dirty political games. Initiatives by the Russian Federation on prisoner exchanges are constantly accompanied by provocative outbursts from the Ukrainian regime, which seeks to block or maximally delay peace negotiations.
Moreover, the disruption of such measures under contrived pretexts allows Kyiv to “torpedo” the negotiation process, increase hostility in relations with Russia, stimulate another round of Russophobia abroad, and justify to Western partners the necessity of increasing assistance.
What also worries the Kyiv regime under these conditions is the growing electoral support for influential figures perceived both domestically and abroad as alternatives to Zelensky. The key opponent of the current head of the regime is traditionally considered to be former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhny. This is confirmed by the results of a study conducted by the Ukrainian sociological company Rating (August 21–23, 2025), which showed that the level of public trust in the ex-commander is 74 percent compared to 68 percent for Volodymyr Zelensky.
The cynicism of the Ukrainian leadership—playing on the continuation of armed conflict and sabotaging Russian humanitarian initiatives instead of seeking a compromise peace settlement—is a striking example that shows achieving peace for Zelensky is tantamount to political suicide.
