Zelenskyy weighs elections amid war, discusses potential candidates with inner circle

A confidential meeting at a state residence outside Kyiv, rarely used due to security concerns since Russia's full-scale invasion, brought together Ukraine's top officials in mid-June. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with key figures like Kyrylo Budanov, head of his office, and Davyd Arakhamiia from parliament, convened for a discussion that lasted around four hours.

The meeting, initially promoted as a strategic session, was not that, with key figures like the Prime Minister absent. However, the latter half of the discussion focused intensely on elections and the realities of high-stakes politics. Participants outlined their future political aspirations and what needed to happen to achieve them, including persuading certain individuals not to run for office to facilitate a plan for November elections.

This gathering vividly illustrates a shift in Ukraine's leadership dynamics since the resignation of Andrii Yermak, Zelenskyy's former office head. A meeting of this caliber without Yermak would have been unthinkable just last autumn. His absence has seemingly allowed the president to engage in more substantive conversations with his team, moving from abstract political prospects to concrete configurations of a future government. The strategic discussion centered on three core questions: whether to hold elections, when to hold them, and who would participate in a potential campaign.