Mykhailo Podoliak, the adviser to the head of the Presidentʼs Office, considers it inappropriate to discuss the political prospects of individual figures while the war is ongoing. This is how Podoliak commented on the statement of his colleague, Oleksii Arestovych, about his intention to run for president in an interview with Babel.
In a recent interview with Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Gordon Arestovych said that if Volodymyr Zelensky refuses to run for a second term, he can nominate his candidacy.
"Mr. Arestovych can make any statements, it is his right. Making statements is a Ukrainian tradition. Regarding the official assessment, if you want, I generally believe that today is not the time to discuss the political prospects of this or that subject. He may run for office, of course, it is everyoneʼs choice. But it is fundamentally important for us that today, we must end the war properly. President Volodymyr Zelensky is a key manager who does this. He proves that he is doing absolutely right. In my opinion, the question of Zelenskyʼs second term should not arise. That is, he should go for a second term and win these elections after the war in order to rebuild the country at the same intensive pace," said Podoliak.
The adviser to the head of the OP emphasized that everything related to personal wishes is "pop hype that does not add anything to the state information policy." At the same time, Podoliak refused to evaluate Arestovychʼs statement, stressing that every person in Ukraine has the right to make any public statements, but which ones he will make "depends on how much a person is aware of the time and place and his role in these statements."