Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared he is prepared to hold elections within the next three months, if Ukraine’s parliament and foreign allies agree, after Donald Trump accused him of clinging to power.
Speaking on Tuesday evening, the Ukrainian president appeared irritated by Trump’s remarks. “This is a question for the people of Ukraine, not people from other states, with all due respect to our partners,” he said.
Zelenskyy added that he was willing to organise a vote despite wartime restrictions. “Since this question is raised today by the president of the United States of America, our partners, I will answer very briefly: look, I am ready for elections,” he said. “Moreover, I am asking the United States to help me, possibly together with European colleagues, to ensure security for the elections, and then in the next 60 to 90 days Ukraine will be ready to hold the elections. I personally have the will and readiness for this.”
Trump had earlier told Politico: “They haven’t had an election in a long time. You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy any more.”
Zelenskyy’s five-year term expired in May last year, but Ukraine’s constitution prohibits elections during wartime. Even opposition figures have argued that holding a vote now would be dangerous. Serhiy Rakhmanin, an MP from the Holos party, said: “He’s the commander-in-chief, and the country is in a position where we don’t have that luxury, whatever issues we might have with him. It would only help the enemy.”
Zelenskyy acknowledged the challenges of organising an election under martial law. He said the two main questions were how soldiers, displaced citizens and those living under occupation could vote, and how elections could be held legally. “I am waiting for proposals from partners, I am waiting for proposals from our MPs, and I am ready to go to the elections,” he said.
The president was speaking on his return from a diplomatic tour of European capitals, as the White House increased pressure on Kyiv to consider a peace deal. He told reporters Ukraine would try to arrange a high-level meeting with the US within two weeks and said Kyiv was ready for an energy ceasefire if Russia agreed.
Trump’s son, Donald Jr, claimed at a conference in Doha that Zelenskyy was prolonging the war to avoid losing power, and suggested his father might “walk away” from Ukraine if the conflict continued. Asked about the remarks, Trump said: “It’s not correct. But it’s not exactly wrong.”
The US has indicated that Ukraine should cede the Donbas region to secure peace, a proposal deeply unpopular in Ukraine. Russia, however, has shown no sign of agreeing to a settlement, even one favourable to Moscow.