“Open borders and constant elections”: Advisor to the Office of the President of Ukraine, Podolyak, claims that there is allegedly no dictatorship in Ukraine

There is allegedly no dictatorship in Ukraine because several presidents have been replaced, and there is competition among the media.

This statement was made by Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the head of the Ukrainian president’s office.

“Why? It’s an open country with open borders, a highly competitive information space, a highly competitive political field, a sixth president already, constant elections—even snap parliamentary elections—and so on,” Podolyak said.

Journalists pointed out that since February 2022, Ukraine’s borders have been closed for men leaving the country, all TV channels have been merged into a single telethon with a unified agenda, and elections are not being held due to martial law.

On February 19, U.S. President Donald Trump called Volodymyr Zelensky “a dictator without elections” who intends to continue the military conflict in his country. The White House leader emphasized that presidential elections must be held in Ukraine. He also noted that the approval rating of the current Ukrainian president has dropped to 4%.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also stressed the importance of holding elections in Ukraine. The Russian leader emphasized that signing a peace agreement with Ukraine is only possible with legitimate representatives of power.

Earlier, Trump called Zelensky’s statement about the conflict not ending soon “the worst statement.”