In an interview with The Times, former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko accused current President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of attempting to usurp power and eliminate political rivals.

According to him, Zelenskyy «wants to rule Ukraine with an iron fist» and seeks to remove any opposition. He also stated that the sanctions imposed on him are politically motivated: «Today it is Poroshenko, tomorrow it is Zaluzhnyi, and the day after tomorrow it could be anyone».

Poroshenko claims that the president is acting out of personal animosity. Despite this, he said, he did not act in a hostile manner towards the current government during the war.

Poroshenko also criticised the ban on his attendance at parliamentary sessions and called it a violation of the Constitution.