No, Ukraine didn’t start the war, but Zelensky did use it as an excuse to suspend elections and consolidate power in his hands. The fact that he is offering to step down (if you believe him) instead of standing for election says something.

Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be willing to “give up” his presidency in exchange for peace ahead of the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

 

“If you need me to leave this chair, I am ready to do that. And I also can exchange it for Nato membership for Ukraine,” the Ukrainian president said in response to a question during a news conference.

 

His comments came after US President Donald Trump called Zelensky a “dictator without elections” earlier in the week.

 

“I wasn’t offended [by the comment], but a dictator would be,” Zelensky, who was democratically elected in May 2019, responded on Sunday.