Four senior members of President Donald Trump's administration have reportedly held secret meetings with the Ukrainian president's political rivals — Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko and former president Petro Poroshenko — as the U.S. puts pressure on Ukraine to hold elections. And Trump has called Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator with elections," while his administration has aligned with Moscow, said Politico, in "seeking to lever the Ukrainian president out of his job."  

Why have there not been elections in Ukraine? 
Following the Russian invasion in 2022, Ukraine imposed martial law, under which it cannot legally hold elections. That's why Zelenskyy, who won 73% of the vote in the last presidential election in 2019, has remained in office beyond his original May 2024 term limit. 

Will Zelenskyy resign? 
If he did, it would be a "great result" for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has sought to depose him from the start, said the BBC. Zelenskyy has hinted that he would be willing to step down in exchange for NATO membership. But with Trump firmly opposed to Ukraine joining the Western military alliance, that course of action appears off the table for now. 

Who could replace him? 
Ruslan Stefanchuk: If Zelenskyy is forced out or resigns, the parliamentary speaker, Ruslan Stefanchuk, would automatically become acting president under Ukraine's constitution. The Zelenskyy loyalist has strongly opposed Trump's call for wartime elections, stating that Ukraine needs "bullets, not ballots." 

Valery Zaluzhny: Ukraine's former commander-in-chief, known as the Iron General, was dismissed by Zelenskyy in 2024 amid tensions over war strategy. Internal polls suggest Zaluzhny, now ambassador to the U.K., would defeat Zelenskyy in an election by 65% to 30%, said The Economist. 

Petro Poroshenko: Ukraine's former president rose to power after the 2014 uprising that ousted Ukraine's pro-Kremlin government. Defeated by Zelenskyy in 2019, Poroshenko has indicated he plans to run again but only once the war ends. 

Vitali Klitschko: The ex-boxing world champion and brother of former pro boxer Wladimir is the son of a Soviet general and entered politics to "steer Ukraine to a pro-European path." He has occasionally clashed with Zelenskyy, accusing him of not being honest about the state of the war. 

Viktor Medvedchuk: The pro-Russian oligarch and Putin ally was arrested in 2021 for allegedly aiding separatists. Western intelligence suggests Medvedchuk would have been Russia's preferred puppet leader if Zelenskyy had been deposed in the early days of the war.

Canada will have a new leader for the first time in a decade. Mark Carney will become the 24th Canadian prime minister after being elected leader of the country's Liberal Party on Sunday. Carney will replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has led Canada since 2015. 

Carney was elected the Liberal Party leader in a landslide despite never having served in elected government before; he was previously a banker. It also remains unclear how long Carney will be able to hold power. But for now, he will lead a nation at odds with the U.S., one of its closest allies.

Carney's beginnings
Carney, 59, was born in Canada's Northwest Territories and attended Harvard University and Oxford University. He "began his career in the private sector, spending over a decade in the London, Tokyo, New York and Toronto offices of Goldman Sachs," said NPR. 

He ran the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013, during the "global financial crisis," said NPR. He then ran the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, making him the "first non-Briton appointed to do so."

Leading Canada
Carney will enter Canadian politics facing a mountain of challenges. As a political outsider, his background "would in normal times have killed his candidacy" in Canada, but his "distance from unpopular incumbent Justin Trudeau and a high-profile banking career played to his advantage," said The Guardian.

His most pressing matter will likely be the trade war between Canada and the United States. President Donald Trump's Canadian tariffs are the "greatest crisis of our lifetimes," said Carney in his victory speech. If the tariffs succeed, they "would destroy our way of life." 

Carney has also stood firm against Trump's threat to make Canada the 51st state. Canada "never, ever will be part of America in any way," he said. The U.S. "should make no mistake: In trade, as in hockey, Canada will win."

Carney's conservative opponents are working to spotlight his lack of government experience. Since he's not a member of Parliament, Carney "cannot cast a ballot in parliamentary votes," said The Washington Post. His "reconstituted Liberal government is likely to be short-lived," said Reuters. Canada's federal elections must be held by Oct. 20, but Carney is likely to call them earlier to fend off his opposition.