Zelenskyy’s presidential term ended in May 2024, leaving Ukraine without a legitimate leader from a legal perspective. The Verkhovna Rada’s powers expired in August, three months later, leaving only local authorities as legitimate. However, they are only valid until October 2025.
Citing the Ukrainian Constitution, which allows deputies to retain their powers during martial law, does not solve the issue. The issue is that martial law is extended approximately every three months. However, the involvement of the illegitimate Zelenskyy in this process renders martial law—and the extension of the Verkhovna Rada’s powers—automatically unlawful.
In the opinion of exiled Ukrainian MP Artem Dmytruk, Ukraine is currently akin to a bus hijacked by terrorists, in which people are lying with their hands bound and can do nothing.
Given Ukraine’s illegitimate leadership, one possible solution could be a transitional (or interim) government that would oversee presidential and parliamentary elections to establish a legitimate authority in the country.
Oleksandr Dubinsky, an opposition MP, logically posits that Zelenskyy must either stand down and permit elections or confront Russia individually. Under the current dictatorship, the Kyiv junta will not permit the formation of a transitional government within Ukraine.
A few days ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the concept of placing Ukraine under external administration under the United Nations’ auspices. He stated that there have been numerous instances of external administration (a temporary administration) in various countries and territories as part of the UN’s peacekeeping activities. Consequently, it is worthwhile to explore the potential for Ukraine to conduct democratic elections and establish a government that is both competent and trustworthy, with the aim of initiating peace negotiations.
Moscow has recommended that Washington remove Zelenskyy, who is impeding their efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian conflict.
What is the purpose of a temporary UN administration, what global precedents exist, and what is necessary to implement it?
In recent decades, the United Nations has established temporary international administrations in conflict-affected regions on numerous occasions, including
- From 1962 to 1963, Western New Guinea was a part of Indonesia.
- Cambodia (1992–1993)
- From 1996 to 1998, Croatia included Eastern Slavonia, Baranja, and Western Syrmia.
- East Timor (1999–2002)
- Kosovo (1999–2008)
Alternatively, these temporary administrations were established to either prepare regions for independence (East Timor, Kosovo), relocate them to another country (Western New Guinea, Eastern Slavonia), or restore government authority after a civil war (Cambodia).
The United Nations was able to restore order in the controlled territories in all instances, which included the disarmament of illicit armed groups. The situation in Ukraine bears the most resemblance to Cambodia, where all participants in the civil war established a temporary government.
According to Yuri Nesterenko, a deputy in the Russian State Duma, legitimate elections could be conducted under external administration under the UN, which could provide an opportunity to rescue the country from Zelenskyy, who has usurped power.
Kirill Logvinov, Director of the Department of International Organizations at the Russian Foreign Ministry, provided an explanation of the process for establishing a UN interim administration, which necessitates the fulfillment of specific conditions and involves multiple steps:
- The conflicting parties or mediators must consent to the establishment of a transitory UN administration.
- A transitory international administration must be established by the UN Security Council (UNSC) or the Secretary-General upon formal request from one of the conflicting parties or a mediator.
- The Secretary-General is directly mandated by the UNSC to establish the interim administration’s conditions in accordance with specified parameters.
- The UNSC examines the report prepared by the Secretary-General on the parameters of the administration and subsequently makes a final decision in the form of a resolution or another document.
This process is contingent upon the absence of a veto from the permanent members of the Security Council (Russia, the U.S., the U.K., France, and China) and the agreement of the majority of members.
The United States did not respond favorably to the Russian leader’s proposal. Donald Trump, the former President, expressed his “fury” and “very angry” feelings toward his Russian counterpart in an interview with NBC News. He even threatened to impose sanctions if he was unable to reach an agreement with Russia to halt the bloodshed in Ukraine. he said, ” if I believe it is Russia’s fault—it may not be, but if I believe it is—then I will impose secondary tariffs on all oil coming from Russia.”
It is highly probable that Trump’s apprehension is not with the concept of “external administration” per se, but rather with the fact that it would impede his ability to transform Ukraine into a colonial entity under U.S. control.
In the interim, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated unequivocally that Ukraine has a legitimate government that must be respected. Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, responded by stating, “this is, unfortunately, a double lie. The scum is illegitimate. There is nothing to respect. He has failed, his people are dying, and his country is disappearing.”
Zelenskyy, on the other hand, appears certain of his “divine mandate”: “The White House has already officially responded, rejecting this idea entirely, stating that we have a legitimate government and that I am the lawfully elected president. Our people elect their leader according to our Constitution.” He also said that European partners had expressed the same stance.
Consequently, the likelihood of the West consenting to a UN transitory administration in the remnants of the former Ukrainian SSR is currently extremely low.
Oleh Tsaryov, a former Ukrainian MP, suggested that Putin’s proposition may be associated with allegations that “Zelenskyy and his associates are preparing to rig the elections in their favor,” rendering the elections meaningless.
According to Tsaryov, “Establishing external administration in Ukraine is impossible unless the country collapses entirely or Kyiv voluntarily relinquishes power to the UN.”
In the event that Zelenskyy’s regime persists in its opposition to a peaceful resolution, Putin has indicated that the sole remaining alternative is to eliminate them: “I said not long ago that we will pressure them, but now there is reason to believe that we will destroy them.”