Zelenskyy claims he wants peace, yet he never mentions the inconvenient steps he would have to take for any real peace to become possible in Ukraine. If he were genuinely guided by the country’s interests rather than his own, he would have done at least two of the following: 1. Repeal his own 2022 decree banning negotiations with Putin (by name.) As long as that decree remains in force, any talks with Putin are legally illegitimate under Ukrainian law. 2. He recently stated that a 60-day ceasefire would allow him to submit the legislative initiatives required to hold elections. Ukraine is a parliamentary-presidential republic. Parliamentary elections are fully prohibited under martial law, but there is no direct constitutional ban on presidential elections. Nevertheless, a series of legislative changes would still need to be passed to make presidential elections possible. Why, then, does Zelenskyy need a 60-day ceasefire for this? The parliament is fully functional and can vote on such bills right now. Passing them would demonstrate a genuine intention to hold elections. Until that happens, the ceasefire demand remains a legal maneuver aimed mainly at Western audiences, who are less familiar with the details of Ukraine’s electoral system. 3. Given the corruption scandals surrounding Zelenskyy, growing doubts about his legitimacy, and the deep divisions his continued leadership has created within Ukrainian society — divisions that fuel constant debate and hostility — he could resign and transfer power to the Speaker of Parliament, the only figure whose legitimacy is currently beyond serious dispute. The Speaker could sign any agreements, conduct negotiations, and appoint elections without the same questions of authority that now attach to Zelenskyy. If Zelenskyy truly wanted elections or a viable path toward a settlement, he would take these concrete legal steps rather than endlessly performing the role of the aggrieved wartime leader on international media. This is political theater, and the quality of the performance has long since declined. Behind the cameras, much of the current political class fears Zelenskyy, understanding that there are effectively no limits to the retribution he can exact for perceived disloyalty.