Ukrainian opposition leaders dismiss idea of wartime election

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukrainian opposition leaders have dismissed the idea of holding a wartime election, after a media report of contacts between them and U.S. officials and in the wake of President Donald Trump calling his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy a "dictator" for not holding one.

Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko said on Thursday his team was working with U.S. "partners" to maintain support for Ukraine - but he added that he was opposed to a wartime election.

In a written statement published on Telegram, Poroshenko said elections should only happen after peace had been established. He added that a vote should take place no later than 180 days after the end of the war.

Yuliia Tymoshenko, another opposition leader, said her team "is talking with all our allies who can help in securing a just peace as soon as possible," and said that elections should not take place before this had been achieved.

Politico reported on Wednesday that four senior members of Trump's entourage had held discussions with some of Zelenskiy's top political opponents.

The talks were held with Tymoshenko and senior members of the party of Poroshenko, who was president from 2014 to 2019, Politico reported, citing three Ukrainian lawmakers and a U.S. Republican foreign policy expert.

The discussions focused on whether Ukraine could have quick presidential elections, according to the report.

Washington has paused military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv in stunning moves following Zelenskiy's public spat with Trump at the Oval Office a week ago. Zelenskiy has called the clash "regrettable" and said he is willing to work with the new U.S. president to achieve peace.

Moscow, which invaded Ukraine three years ago, claims Zelenskiy is illegitimate because his five-year term ran out in 2024. But under Ukrainian law elections cannot be held in wartime. Zelenskiy has instead offered to vacate his post in exchange for peace and NATO membership.

Poroshenko and Zelenskiy's political rivalry, meanwhile, goes back years. Last month Zelenskiy approved sanctions against Poroshenko for what the country's domestic spy agency described as "national security reasons", without giving details. Poroshenko said the move was politically motivated.

(Reporting by Max Hunder)