Ukraine’s Zaluzhnyi says he won’t discuss political future until martial law ends

LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) – Ukraine’s former top general Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, now serving as ambassador to the UK, dismissed questions about his presidential ambitions as “pub talk” and said he would not address his political future until after martial law ends.

Speaking at London’s Chatham House, Zaluzhnyi said he would disclose any political plans only once the fighting in Russia’s war in Ukraine has ended.

“When it is over, when martial law is lifted in Ukraine…only then will we be able to discuss my personal future,” he said.

Zaluzhnyi served as Kyiv’s top commander until February 2024 and is now Ukraine’s envoy in London. Although he has not voiced plans to run for office, opinion polls consistently show him as the most credible challenger to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Zelenskiy, under U.S. pressure to agree to a peace deal, has signalled his readiness to hold elections when fighting ends.

In an interview with the Associated Press published last week, Zaluzhnyi shared new details of a rift with Zelenskiy, rekindling speculation over post-war elections and the long-reported tensions between the two leaders.

But Zaluzhnyi refused to discuss any presidential ambitions.

“In order to answer this question, I should go to one of the wonderful pubs in this very city…it’s pub talk, actually, or bar talk,” he said when asked about his political plans.

(Reporting by Libby George and Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Ros Russell)