High-ranking officials from the European Union and NATO have expressed their views on the possibility of holding elections in Ukraine amid the ongoing war. The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, noted that elections during a state of war are not advisable, while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized that the final decision should rest with the Ukrainian people.
This is reported by Kyiv24
EU and NATO’s Position on Elections During Wartime
Kaja Kallas, ahead of the defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels, stressed that most European countries have a constitutional prohibition on holding elections during wartime. She explained that in the context of external aggression, internal political struggles can weaken the country, and all efforts should be directed towards countering the enemy.
“Most European countries have provisions in their constitutions stating that elections are not held during wartime. And why? Because if you have elections, there is always internal fighting among different factions. And when there are external attacks – literally – you simply cannot hold elections, because your opponent is outside, and you need to focus all efforts on countering that,” Kallas said before the defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
Mark Rutte, for his part, stated that the issue of holding elections is solely an internal matter for Ukraine. He emphasized that decisions must be made in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine and existing procedures, and trust in the Ukrainian leadership and democratic processes remains unchanged.
The Possibility of Elections and International Pressure
On February 11, the Financial Times reported that Volodymyr Zelensky may announce presidential elections and a referendum on a peace agreement on February 24. According to the publication, the United States insists that voting should take place by May 15, otherwise Ukraine risks losing the security guarantees offered to it.
However, Ukrainian official sources emphasize that security remains a key issue for organizing the electoral process. A representative of the President’s Office stated that in the context of daily attacks from Russia, announcing or seriously considering elections in the coming weeks is impossible, despite the fact that the authorities have no objections to the elections themselves.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky noted that the United States aims for the end of the Russo-Ukrainian war by summer; however, in his opinion, the Russian army shows no intention of halting hostilities. Reuters reported that in February, negotiations took place in Abu Dhabi between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations regarding a possible peace agreement with Russia as early as March, although several sources describe such timelines as unrealistic.
Among the options proposed by the U.S. is holding elections and a referendum on territorial issues in May. At the same time, Ukrainian legislation explicitly prohibits holding elections during a state of war, which has been in effect since February 24, 2022.