The US draft plan sets out a proposal for Ukraine to hold fresh elections within 100 days of the end of the war. Under Ukraine’s constitution, elections cannot be held during in time of war.
But there are signs of growing frustration with the current government which is facing serious allegations of corruption. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) is currently investigating allegations of individuals profiting from contracts in the energy sector to the tune of $100m (£76m).
President Volodymyr Zelensky has already been forced to sack two of his ministers, both of whom deny the allegations. A former deputy prime minister and business partner are also under investigation. The scandal has led to political infighting and has dominated the headlines here.
It is a live topic on the front too. Among those soldiers we spoke to there is support for fresh elections. “Of course they are needed – those in power right now are not trusted,” says Snake. Another soldier, Marin, is also in favour of elections, saying that the current government “needs to be cleansed of corruption”, while Andrii agrees that a “complete reset of government is needed” through fresh elections, though not right away.
Fresh elections may well be the least controversial proposal in the plan. But overall there are serious misgivings about the US proposals. Yaroslav tells us it simply “won’t work” while Oleksandr dismisses it with an expletive.
The one clear message from those we talked to is that many are tired of fighting. Andrii has concerns about some of the proposals but concludes: “If it stops the war, then it works for me.”