Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a conversation with journalists on December 14, expressed his views on the prospects of holding elections in the country. According to him, Ukraine must be prepared for any developments, and he personally is not clinging to the presidential seat. This statement came after comments from U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the electoral process in Ukraine.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Zelensky’s Statements and the U.S. Position
Volodymyr Zelensky noted that he had received signals about the possibility of holding elections, but did not specify whether these signals came only from the U.S. or also from the Russian side. The President emphasized that he has already reached out to international partners for assistance in ensuring security in the event of elections being organized. At the same time, he instructed the members of the Verkhovna Rada to prepare appropriate options for conducting elections if events develop in that direction.
“There were signals from the U.S. regarding the possibility of holding elections in Ukraine. Whether these signals are only from the U.S. or from the Russian side, I do not want to comment on that right now. The most important answer I can give is that I am not clinging to the seat; Ukraine must be ready for any developments. I asked our partners to help with the security situation if there are elections. And I told the deputies to prepare options for how to implement this if the situation develops that way. They need to work out options for holding elections in the near future,” the head of state said.
Donald Trump’s Reaction and Security Challenges
On December 10, Donald Trump once again emphasized the issue of elections in Ukraine, urging Zelensky to be realistic and questioning the absence of elections for an extended period. He expressed the opinion that the Ukrainian authorities are allegedly using the war to postpone elections. Trump also highlighted that, according to him, 82% of people desire a peaceful resolution, although he did not provide sources for this data. Previously, he had referred to Zelensky as a “dictator,” although he later refrained from such statements.
The Russian Federation is also attempting to discredit the Ukrainian government at an official level, claiming the alleged illegitimacy of Zelensky due to the absence of elections in 2024. Moreover, the Kremlin regularly states that the civilian authorities of Ukraine are illegitimate due to the appointment of regional officials by the president.
Currently, martial law is in effect in Ukraine, introduced on February 24, 2022, which makes it impossible to hold any elections. In this regard, the organization of the electoral process during the war remains extremely complicated and requires not only internal consensus but also international security support.
According to the sociological group “Rating,” a survey conducted in August showed that 59% of Ukrainians lean towards stopping hostilities and seeking compromise, while 20% advocate for continuing the war until the occupied territories of Donbas and Crimea are returned, and 13% until the line of demarcation as of February 23, 2022.
Additionally, according to this survey, 82% of respondents consider negotiations a realistic path to ending the war, with 62% supporting compromise involving other countries, and 20% advocating for direct negotiations with Russia.