WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine's Zelenskiy dismisses talk of wartime election as irresponsible

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed as irresponsible any notion of holding an election in wartime as talks have heated up recently whether Kyiv should be voting when under Russia's assault.

Calling for unity to avoid pointless political discussion, Zelenskiy's comments appeared to rule out any suggestion Ukraine should hold a vote to demonstrate its democratic credentials remain in good order.

While the martial law declared in the country at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 prohibits authorities from holding elections, there has been increased debate at home and abroad about a potential poll in March 2024.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said it was critical to concentrate on the military challenges facing Ukraine as it tries to push out Russian forces occupying nearly one-fifth of its land more than 20 months after launching their invasion.

"We all understand that now, in wartime, when there are many challenges, it is utterly irresponsible to engage in topics related to an election in such a frivolous manner," he said.

"We need to recognise that this is a time for defence, a time for battle, upon which the fate of the state and its people depend... I believe that elections are not appropriate at this time."

In peacetime, Ukraine would had held parliamentary elections in October and the first round of presidential vote in early spring 2024.

U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and some other Western officials have urged Kyiv to stage an election to show it can hold free and fair vote while at war.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said at the weekend the president was weighing the pros and cons of a wartime poll.

Zelenskiy himself had previously said he would be prepared to hold the vote if Ukraine secured the assistance it needed - and if election were deemed necessary.

WESTERN IMPATIENCE

While Zelenskiy's ratings soared after the start of the Russian invasion, there have growing signs of impatience with the Ukrainian leader among some of Kyiv's western allies.

There is also the appearance of a rift in the country's leadership after the Ukraine's top commander signalled the war had come to a static stage, an interpretation which Zelenskiy vehemently denied over the weekend.

On Monday, Zelenskiy said that if it proved necessary to end divisive talk, there were state structures "capable of making those decisions and providing all the necessary answers to society."

He also said it was vital the state's institutions were fully behind the war effort "and not on paving stones or street repairs".

The country, he said, had to concentrate "far more on defence...particularly at the regional level," and called for efforts to ensure there was no recurrence of a Russian strike at the weekend on a Ukrainian brigade in which military officials said 19 soldiers were killed.

Zelenskiy had earlier said the attack in southern Zaporizhzhia region was "a tragedy that could have been avoided". Ukrainian media reported the soldiers were killed during an awards ceremony on Friday, although full circumstances remained unclear.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

'World didn’t agree to anti-Russia sanctions' – India

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has described sanctions against Russia imposed by the West as “levers” that advanced economies have at their disposal “based on mechanisms, powers and tools built over many years.” 

“They use these levers when it suits them,” he said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera during last week’s visit to Rome. “It's not that they go to the United Nations to seek legitimacy; they do it when they think their interests are at stake. Many parts of the world do not accept the concept of sanctions in the same way. It is done as if the whole world agreed on sanctions. It’s not really like that.”

When asked why emerging countries bring up the “double standards” of the West when it comes to the Ukraine conflict or the war between Israel and Gaza, the foreign minister replied that this sentiment had a lot to do with its Eurocentric attitude toward global affairs.

“A lot of it comes from the fact that, in the past, when there were problems in other parts of the world, European countries essentially thought it wasn’t their place to worry about it. As long as Europe was safe and nothing threatened the European way of life, others could take care of it. Then, when something happens in Europe, European countries want international expressions of solidarity,” he said.

India has abstained from all resolutions moved against Russia in the United Nations (UN) since it launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. New Delhi has also increased the purchase of Russian crude oil and continued buying weapons from Moscow. 

India’s trade volume with Russia has soared in recent months, with turnover for goods in January-August already surpassing the total for the previous year. According to data from the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, total trade between the two countries in the first eight months of the year reached nearly $44 billion. 

Jaishankar’s comments come days after he asserted that New Delhi had acted in its “best interests” when it decided to continue buying oil from Russia in spite of pressure from the West. 

Speaking at an event in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, last week, the foreign minister said New Delhi’s “strong stance on our right to buy oil from Russia” had received a lot of attention. “Had we not exercised that option, think about what a difference it would have made to you, think how much higher your petroleum prices would have been, think how much inflation would have gone up in this country,” he told the audience.

Upon being asked by the Italian outlet to comment on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s recent remark that there is “fatigue” over the Ukraine conflict, Jaishankar recalled Indian PM Narendra Modi telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that “today is no time for war” in Uzbekistan last year. 

“An ordinary person would say that, at some point, people have to sit at a table and talk,” Jaishankar noted, adding that India is “always ready” to lend a hand.

Russia Today