Presidential Elections in Ukraine: Zelenskyy’s Office Answers Questions for Orda.kz

Will Ukraine hold presidential elections? Is the country prepared to return the $350 billion U.S. President Donald Trump demands? Did Ukraine have better conditions for ending the war in 2022? And what was an unidentified drone doing in the West Kazakhstan region? 

These and other pressing topics were discussed in an interview between Orda.kz editor-in-chief Gulnara Bazhkenova and Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

Read the full-text version here and watch the full interview in Russian on our YouTube channel.

Will Russia Attack Europe? Why Russia Does Not Follow the Rules of War

While the idea that Russia might attack Europe is not widespread, the speculation does exist.

Mykhailo Podolyak explained why these concerns could be valid:

Russia has allies — quite a few countries that are interested in participating in the war. North Korea, for example, is directly involved, including in ground operations. Iran is keen to reassert its control over the Middle East, and to do so, it needs to strengthen its military capabilities — with Russia’s help. There are also about ten other countries that, while not directly involved in the war, support Russia with resources because they benefit from the chaos,  Podolyak explained.

He also pointed out what Ukraine has that NATO countries do not.

The U.S., with all its resources, has around 100 brigades. Even the entire NATO force is smaller than Russia’s in terms of brigade numbers. Ukraine currently has around 120 brigades. Of course, there are differences in deployment and structure. Ukraine may have fewer brigades, but it has invaluable combat experience.

Podolyak also emphasized that Russia does not follow the rules of war, as it targets civilians and infrastructure.

Russia has extensive experience in waging large-scale wars. It knows what equipment is needed and how to use it. The country is re-equipping its army, moving away from traditional armored units — not abandoning them entirely, but focusing more on missile and drone forces. Russia will also maintain a powerful propaganda network to intimidate European nations. And if Russia is not held accountable for its war crimes, it will feel emboldened to commit similar crimes elsewhere.

Ukraine’s Repayment of U.S. Aid

On February 18, Russian and U.S. delegations met in Riyadh, where the war in Ukraine was among the topics discussed. Podolyak clarified that this was not a negotiation about ending the war but a discussion of bilateral relations — and that other countries should have been present.

Ukraine should have been part of the talks because the war is happening on Ukrainian soil. Europe should have been there because the war is on European territory, and collectively, Europe is a full-fledged partner of Ukraine. Türkiye should be involved, in my opinion, as the Black Sea region is at risk. The UK plays a leading role in supporting Ukraine and should be included. If post-war regulations are discussed, China and other Global South countries should probably participate. I believe Russia should not be involved in shaping these rules. More responsible nations with a clearer understanding of international conduct should take that role instead.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he would ensure the return of $350 billion provided as aid to Ukraine, arguing that the U.S. has received nothing in return. Podolyak commented on this stance.

I understand why the U.S. and even European countries want to receive some kind of compensation. A short war, lasting two or three weeks, requires one budget. But when a war drags on for three years, entirely different levels of capital and investment are necessary. In this case, the United States must understand what they will receive. After all, you can't endlessly invest in one side, you must see some kind of compensation. To me, this looks like a normal pragmatic position of both sides, including Ukraine. We want to have clear, understandable investments, and in addition to investments — security guarantees that will apply to these investments.

On the Kazakh CPC Oil Pipeline Attack and the Drone in West Kazakhstan

Podolyak stated that he is not directly involved in Ukraine’s military planning but noted that Russia itself is responsible for much of the destruction on its territory.

Of course, I fully support destroying the industry, in this case, the oil refining industry in Russia. This would undoubtedly weaken its resource base and complicate logistics, etc. As for strikes or non-strikes on specific objects, this needs to be discussed with our military, if they carry out these strikes at all. Do not forget that 30-35% of the infrastructure damage in Russia is self-inflicted. Many drones and missiles malfunction or fall within Russian territory, including in the Caspian Sea region... Russia is very careless about its military equipment and, accordingly, destroys a lot on its own.

Regarding the unidentified drone that crashed in the West Kazakhstan region, Podolyak stressed that Ukraine avoids provocative actions and acts responsibly toward third countries.

Ukraine’s focus is on accurately identifying Russian military production sites, key resource bases and so on. However, war inherently destabilizes entire regions and introduces certain risks.

Presidential Elections

Podolyak confirmed that Ukraine will hold presidential elections but finds the pressure to do so now unusual.

The country is in the middle of a war. A significant portion of its territory is a battlefield, and missile strikes occur nationwide. Ensuring a secure electoral process under these conditions is impossible. More importantly, many Ukrainians are directly involved in the war — either fighting on the front lines or living in active conflict zones. You cannot deny them their right to vote. There is a national consensus that elections cannot take place under martial law. Once martial law is lifted, there will be early elections.

He also stressed that the war’s outcome does not depend on elections.

Podolyak was also asked whether Ukraine had favorable conditions to end the war in 2022 and if there were any regrets about not doing so.

There were no negotiations that could have realistically ended the war. Russia insisted on the end of Ukraine's existence — that’s why it invaded. And, of course, at the beginning of the war, when it entered the territory with 250,000 troops, it certainly did not intend to sit down at the negotiating table. Claims that a settlement was possible at that time are false. Russia’s aggression only escalated. And, unfortunately, it was impossible to end this war in the spring or fall of 2022.

Finally, Podolyak dismissed the claim that former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was the key figure preventing Ukraine from signing an agreement.

This is one of the many myths propagated by Putin, who has repeated it multiple times. Johnson was a partner, but he did not dictate Ukraine’s strategic decisions

Original Author: Saniya Zhunisbek