Elections in Ukraine will only be held if Ukraine’s security is guaranteed and there is a ceasefire with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday, backing away from suggestions he plans to stage new ballots in the face of US pressure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine will hold elections only after a ceasefire and “security guarantees” are in place with Moscow. (AFP file)Elections in Ukraine have been effectively suspended since Russia invaded in 2022 due to martial law.
“We will go to the polls when all necessary security guarantees are in place,” Zelensky told reporters, including an AFP reporter, in a voice note.
“I said it’s very easy to do: establish a ceasefire, and there will be elections,” he added.
If Russia agrees, it may be possible to “end hostilities by the summer,” Zelensky said.
The Financial Times previously reported that Ukraine is mulling the possibility of holding presidential elections within the next three months under pressure from Washington.
Zelensky has repeatedly said Ukraine could hold elections after a peace deal with Russia is signed, but has recently signaled a willingness for a quick vote as part of a US plan to end the war.
He also said any deal that would cede territory to Moscow should be put to a referendum.
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Zelensky, a former comedian who played a fictional president on Ukrainian TV before running for office, was elected to a five-year term in 2019.
Russia has repeatedly tried to question Zelensky’s legitimacy after 2024, when that term expires.
There are many practical obstacles to holding a ballot, such as any campaigning and security during the vote, and what to do with the millions of Ukrainian refugees forced abroad.
Millions more are internally displaced, while tens of thousands are living under Russian occupation or fighting at the front.
Polling shows little appetite among the Ukrainian public for ballots during the war.
