The Guardian has reported that last November, Andrii Yermak, Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, visited London to meet Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and current ambassador of Ukraine to the UK, and suggested he join President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s team before future elections. Zaluzhnyi declined.

Source: The Guardian, citing several unnamed sources close to Zaluzhnyi, as well as political insiders, diplomats and other people familiar with the matter

Quote: “No election is scheduled in Ukraine, with voting legally and technically impossible while the country is at war… But everyone in Ukraine knows that sooner or later, politics will return. And when that happens, polling suggests that Zaluzhnyi, who led the successful repelling of the Russian onslaught at the beginning of the war, is the only candidate who would pose a serious threat to Zelenskyy.”

Details: The Guardian notes that Zaluzhnyi has never publicly stated any political ambitions and rejects almost all requests for interviews. “His team carefully manages his public appearances in London to avoid events where awkward questions could be asked,” the newspaper says.

However, according to The Guardian, a steady stream of political pilgrims has been arriving at the Ukrainian embassy, housed in a mansion near Holland Park in west London, to offer their assistance, show support, or try to determine whether the general plans to run for office.

The newspaper also notes that, alongside Ukrainian MPs, civil society activists, and business representatives, Zaluzhnyi was visited by former Donald Trump adviser Paul Manafort, who offered his services as a political consultant for any future election campaign. The Guardian reports that Zaluzhnyi declined the offer.

According to the newspaper, one of Zaluzhnyi’s visitors was Andrii Yermak, Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office. A source told The Guardian that at a meeting last November, Yermak proposed that Zaluzhnyi formally join Zelenskyy’s political team to present a united front before future elections. Zaluzhnyi, however, declined the offer.

However, sources told The Guardian that Zaluzhnyi promised Yermak he would not publicly criticise Zelenskyy while the war continues and assured him he would not create any unwelcome surprises for the President’s Office. “If I do decide I want to go into politics, you will hear it from me first, privately,” Zaluzhnyi told Yermak, as reported by The Guardian.

Background:

In February 2025, Zaluzhnyi neither confirmed nor denied that he would run for president, saying the matter would only become relevant once Ukrainian statehood is no longer under threat.A new poll has found that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would receive the highest number of votes in the next presidential election, while a hypothetical “Zaluzhnyi Party” would attract the most support in a parliamentary vote.

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