

Others in Ukraine see him as a potential political figure. He didn’t deny the possibility to become one - which is a hint as bold as you can get.
There is an informal rule in Ukraine to put politics aside during the war. Cause Ukrainian society was very divided by politics, much alike USA. Protests recently were an exception, because people felt like the current government break the “no politics, everything to win the war” rule with their powergrab move towards anticorruption institutions.
Zaluzhnyi is a previous commander, he knows well why this is so important not to bring politics back. He is also undeniable pro-Ukrainian. Even if I wouldn’t like him as a president, I can applaud to his principles.
I mean, all the opinion polls for starters?
https://ukraine-elections.com.ua/uk/socopros/vybory_prezidenta
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2025/02/20/7499275/
https://www.iri.org/resources/national-survey-of-ukraine-july-2025/
https://socis.kiev.ua/ua/2025-06-25/
He is stable second place. Nobody is even close. I bet Zelensky himself do see him as a major threat for his reelections.
Paul Manafort was just one of the names we heard. But with his ratings, he can be picky about who he is dealing with. Literally any oligarch in Ukraine would pay him a lot if that means he would do some favours.