This was stated on Espreso TV by Oleh Rybachuk, politician, head of the Center for Joint Action NGO, and Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European Integration in 2005.“As for the ‘3,000 km’ (a winter-support initiative launched by Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine’s national railway, in cooperation with the state, which will allow free rail travel for up to 3,000 km within Ukraine - ed.) and ‘winter support’ (a social support program for the winter period in Ukraine, which includes a one-time payment of 1,000 hryvnias for all eligible Ukrainians - ed.) programs, those who make such populist decisions probably know something or are preparing for something. I’ve said more than once that there’s a sense in Kyiv, especially on the Pechersk hills, that the authorities are ready for elections. Not preparing — ready! And they want as little time as possible so their political opponents can’t prepare. I’ve been hearing this information for several months,” Rybachuk commented.According to him, if one looks at the dynamics of negotiations with Europeans and Americans and the increasing international pressure on Moscow, the likelihood of a scenario in which Putin will be forced to cease fire after the winter campaign is quite high.“Therefore, this decision is probably being made. The danger of such steps is that, on the one hand, we are handing out candy to our voters, and on the other — extracting funds from Europeans, because we need energy security, military aid, and macro-financial support. Meanwhile, European politicians must take money from their own voters — they could also hand out candy, but instead, they give it to Ukraine,” Rybachuk concluded.Earlier, the head of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine, Oleksiy Koshel, said he did not rule out early presidential elections after a peace agreement. Despite the current ban on elections during martial law, various scenarios are being discussed in political circles, including the possibility of holding presidential elections immediately after a ceasefire or the signing of a peace accord.