‘Not The Time’: Zelenskyy Dismisses Calls For Election

While proponents calling for continued Ukrainian military support frequently claim that it is necessary to uphold “democracy” in the region, the nation’s president does not seem to be particularly concerned about guaranteeing free and fair elections.

After previously claiming that Ukraine would only be able to hold an election if America and other nations footed the bill, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy now appears to be taking the possibility of an election off the table entirely — at least for now.

“We must decide that now is the time of defense, the time of battle, on which the fate of the state and people depends,” he said during a public address earlier this week. “I believe that now is not the time for elections.”

Zelenskyy’s remarks came in the wake of a Russian missile strike on the Odesa Fine Arts Museum and other targets in the region. It also seemed to reflect his increasing desperation as the global interests of the U.S. and allies around the world continue shifting to the Middle East following the Hamas terror attack on Israel last month. 

Americans have become increasingly skeptical of the continuous delivery of money, weapons and other military equipment to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion nearly two years ago. Whereas there was wide bipartisan support for assistance early on, the stagnant nature of the war and the depletion of U.S. stockpiles have resulted in waning support for a mission President Joe Biden claimed would continue for “as long as it takes.”

A recent Gallup poll revealed how much public sentiment for Ukraine aid has shifted in just the past few months.

In June, 43% of respondents said the amount of U.S. aid was about right and 29% said that America was providing too much assistance. Last week, polling results indicated that the numbers had flipped to 33% and 41%, respectively. 

More than two dozen GOP lawmakers referenced concerns over the way U.S. money is being allocated in a letter they sent to the White House in September.

“The American people deserve to know what their money has gone to,” they wrote. “How is the counteroffensive going? Are the Ukrainians any closer to victory than they were 6 months ago? What is our strategy, and what is the president’s exit plan? What does the administration define as victory in Ukraine?”