Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy privately asked former commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi whether he intended to run in a future presidential election and urged him to avoid a potentially divisive contest, the Ukrainska Pravda news outlet reported, citing sources familiar with the meeting.

Neither Zelenskiy's office nor Zaluzhnyi has publicly commented on the report, which, if accurate, would offer a rare glimpse into political calculations taking place behind closed doors as Ukraine continues to wage war against Russia.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, Zaluzhnyi, now Ukraine's ambassador to Britain, was summoned to Kyiv last week under the formal pretext of discussing developments in London and their implications for bilateral relations, as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was reportedly preparing to resign.

The publication said the first part of the meeting focused on the UK, one of Ukraine's closest military and political allies, before shifting to the question of presidential elections.

Citing sources close to both participants, Ukrainska Pravda reported that Zelenskiy said recent developments on the battlefield had been broadly positive and that Ukrainian society remained sufficiently united to create what he described as a potential "window of opportunity" for holding elections in the autumn.

Ukraine has not set a date for presidential elections, which have been postponed under martial law. The country's constitution prohibits parliamentary elections during martial law, while the legal framework surrounding presidential elections under wartime conditions has been the subject of continuing debate among legal experts and politicians.

According to the report, Zelenskiy argued that the principal objective would be to organise elections without creating a new internal political split, particularly one centred on a contest between himself and the former commander-in-chief.

The publication said the president then asked Zaluzhnyi directly whether he would stand if elections were held this autumn.

According to the sources cited by Ukrainska Pravda, Zaluzhnyi replied unequivocally: "Yes. I will."

The report said the conversation continued, but that Zelenskiy did not offer the former general alternative career paths because doing so would have served little purpose after receiving his answer.

However, the publication cited sources within government as saying the presidential administration had been prepared to discuss virtually any senior state position with Zaluzhnyi, including the post of prime minister, alongside diplomatic appointments.

According to the report, Zaluzhnyi responded that he had never actively sought a political career but believed many Ukrainians had placed their trust in him and that he could not explain why he should disregard those expectations.

The two men reportedly concluded the meeting by shaking hands.

Ukrainska Pravda said Zaluzhnyi also met National Security and Defence Council Secretary Rustem Umerov and David Arakhamia, the parliamentary leader of Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party, during his visit to Kyiv.

According to the publication, both officials repeated similar arguments, warning about the risk of dividing society, conducting an excessively confrontational election campaign and weakening the country during wartime.

The report said Zaluzhnyi's position remained unchanged despite those discussions.

It quoted sources as saying that, before leaving, officials made one final appeal, asking him to reconsider.

The publication concluded that, following Zaluzhnyi's departure from Kyiv, it had become apparent that what it described as the presidential administration's attempt to restart the political process and organise elections in the autumn had encountered a major obstacle.

Zaluzhnyi remains one of Ukraine's most prominent public figures. During his tenure as commander-in-chief, he oversaw Ukraine's defence during the first two years of war and consistently ranked among the country's most trusted officials in public opinion surveys. His dismissal as commander in February 2024 was widely interpreted by analysts as reflecting growing strategic and political differences with Zelenskiy, although both men publicly stressed the need for unity.

The question of when Ukraine should hold national elections has become increasingly sensitive. Kyiv argues that organising a nationwide vote while large areas remain under attack, millions of citizens are displaced and hundreds of thousands of soldiers are serving at the front would present major legal, logistical and security challenges. At the same time, some international observers have suggested that Ukraine should prepare for elections once conditions permit as part of maintaining its democratic institutions.

No official decision has been announced on holding presidential elections while martial law remains in force, and Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly said that any such move would require broad political consensus and solutions to significant practical obstacles.