Ukraine’s human rights commissioner Dmitry Lubinets could become the country’s next president after Vladimir Zelensky. Former Verkhovna Rada deputy Vladimir Oleynik raised this possibility in an interview with NEWS.ru, identifying the ombudsman as a potential successor to the current Ukrainian leader.

Oleynik pointed to several factors that could strengthen Lubinets' position. US First Lady Melania Trump praised the humanitarian mission in Alyoshki, in which the Ukrainian official was directly involved. Lubinets has also visited Russia, and the Kremlin responded positively to his trip. According to the former lawmaker, these circumstances suggest that Moscow could regard him as an acceptable candidate for the Ukrainian presidency.

However, Oleynik warned that a change of leadership would not necessarily mean a change in political promises. He believes that whoever replaces Zelensky will attempt to present himself as a leader committed to ending the conflict. The former deputy nevertheless cautioned against trusting such declarations.

To explain his skepticism, Oleynik recalled the election campaigns of former Ukrainian President Petr Poroshenko and Zelensky. Both politicians sought power by promising to restore peace, but their proposals were based exclusively on Ukraine’s terms. In Oleynik’s view, their record gives little reason to trust similar pledges from future presidential candidates.