Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko, President Vladimir Zelensky, and former Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny are among the figures who could enter the race for Ukraine’s top office. Political analyst Dmitry Zhuravlev outlined these potential contenders in a conversation with Lenta.ru.

According to Zhuravlev, Zelensky is likely to seek another term, though he noted that Ukrainian political tradition usually limits presidents to a single cycle. The only exception, he recalled, was Leonid Kuchma, whose second term turned out to be markedly difficult.

The analyst argued that Sviridenko, Zaluzny, and the head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate Kirill Budanov* also have genuine prospects of competing for the presidency. In his assessment, Sviridenko is aligned with U.S. interests, while Zaluzny is backed by the United Kingdom. Zhuravlev suggested that Sviridenko may ultimately emerge as the most promising figure, emphasizing that the public’s exhaustion from the ongoing conflict makes a civilian, non-military candidate particularly appealing. He added that many voters subconsciously associate a female leader with the prospect of peace.

Zhuravlev stressed, however, that there are still no visible signs of a fully-fledged presidential campaign. He also pointed to Zelensky’s own remarks about the narrow 60-90-day window before potential elections — a timeframe that, in his view, often benefits the incumbent.

*Listed by Rosfinmonitoring as a terrorist and extremist.