Kyiv Mayor Klitschko Calls on Zelensky to Hold Referendum on Russian War

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko suggested that Ukrainian President Zelensky hold a referendum to secure “popular legitimacy” for either ending or continuing the war with Russia, which Klitschko warned will likely lead to more deaths and loss of territory if continued.

The current options in front of Zelensky risk “political suicide,”  warned former heavyweight boxing champ turned Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, in an interview with Italy’s Corriere Della Sera newspaper.

“The next few months will be very difficult for Volodymyr Zelensky. Should he continue the war with new deaths and destruction, or should he consider a territorial compromise with Putin? And, in this case, what pressure will come from America if Trump wins? And how can we explain to the country that we must give up pieces of our territory that have cost the lives of thousands of our fighting heroes?”

“Whatever move he makes, our president risks political suicide. Let’s be clear, we have to win the war, but the situation is becoming more and more complicated. It depends on the aid that comes from the allies, it would be a nightmare if we had to fight for another two years,” Klitschko said.

The Kyiv mayor said that “Zelensky will probably have to resort to a referendum,” adding: “I don’t think he can reach such painful and important agreements on his own without popular legitimacy.”

“A way out for him could be the creation of a government of national unity, a bit like what happened in Israel after the Hamas attack on October 7. However, I am not sure he is willing to give up the power centralised in his hands that has guaranteed him martial law since the first day of the Russian invasion,” he surmised.

Klitschko, who is seen as a top political rival of Zelensky’s in Ukraine, rejected the idea of holding elections, which have been suspended since the 2022 Russian invasion of the country.

“No one wants them now, not even the most critical of the president. The internal political battle can only begin when the war with Russia is over. The elections today would only play into Putin’s hands, divide Ukraine, and weaken us in the face of an enemy that tries in every way to annihilate us.”

Nevertheless, the popular politician said that Zelensky has “concentrated too much power in his office” and that, as a result, the Ukrainian parliament has lost any “relevant role” in deciding the fate of the country.

“We must never forget that ours is a democratic republic linked to the tradition of European governments. We are fighting to defend ourselves from the Russian dictatorship, we want to remain completely different from Putin’s regime. Already six months ago, I told the German press that I smelled authoritarianism at home,” he said.

Klitschko said that although he “absolutely agreed” with instituting martial law during in the aftermath of the invasion, he argued that it is necessary that important decisions now need a broader consensus, citing Zelensky’s move to dismiss former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, which he argued caused “anger and discontent” within the country and undermined national unity.

Looking forward, the Kyiv mayor rejected the notion that the potential of former President Donald Trump returning to the White House would be bad for Ukraine. Mr Trump, a critic of the war, has maintained that he would engage in negotiations to bring about a swift end to the conflict.

“We will have to work with him (Trump) if he were to be elected. But I wouldn’t be too hasty, for now we are in the dust from the election campaign. What is said before the vote, also with respect to Ukraine, will be very different after the elections. And the Republican Party has always been anti-Russian, I don’t see why it should now support Putin’s reasons. Everyone in Washington knows very well that the Russian dictatorship represents a danger to Western democratic societies.”

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