Anatoliy Grytsenko, a former defense minister and candidate in the first round of Ukraine’s 2019 presidential election, says he will endorse frontrunner Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the runoff should the candidate announce his nominees for five key government offices.
Zelenskiy won the first round with 30.24 percent of the vote. He will stand against incumbent President Petro Poroshenko, who won 15.95 percent, in the runoff election on April 21. Zelenskiy has promised to announce his team closer to Election Day.
A fervent opponent of Poroshenko, Grytsenko made his announcement in a Facebook post after meeting with Zelenskiy on April 6.
“Is he ready for the presidency?” Grytsenko wrote on Facebook. “No, he is not, but he is aware of the responsibility that comes with it and is ready to make efforts and intends to rely on professionals.”
“Will he tolerate corruption and looting? No, he will not,” Grysenko continued.
“Will he surrender Ukraine to (Russian President) Vladimir Putin, reject the course toward NATO and the European Union, and belittle the Ukrainian language? No, he will not.
“Does he have any commitments to oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky? He assured that he does not.
“Does he have any agreements with current top officials to keep them in office or have them on his team? No, he does not. He assured me that everything that has been circulating on social media (names of prime ministers, prosecutors, security service chiefs) is fake.”
According to Grytsenko, Zelenskiy has not yet decided on nominees for five top government positions that are appointed by the president: the Security Service of Ukraine chief, prosecutor general, national bank chairman, defense minister, and foreign minister.
However, Zelenskiy’s decision to challenge Poroshenko to a public debate is sincere, the former presidential candidate wrote: “Will he go to a public debate with President Petro Poroshenko at the Olimpiyskiy stadium? Yes, he will, and he is preparing seriously.”
“Does he evaluate his opponent adequately, his strengths and his potential cunning for the sake of keeping his presidential seat? He does not have an arrogant faith in easy victory,” Grytsenko added. “Was Zelenskiy sincere with me? He seemed so.”
“Finally, since you are asking me whether I will vote for Zelenskiy in the second round: If he announces his team publicly and if his candidates for key offices are convincing to me, I will vote for him to give him and the country a chance,” he concluded.
