Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed readiness for Ukraine to potentially conduct its first election since the 2022 Russian invasion, contingent upon receiving security assurances from international partners.
Zelenskyy, whose presidential term is slated to conclude in May 2024, highlighted two crucial prerequisites for holding elections: securing safety and establishing an appropriate legislative framework. He has tasked lawmakers from his party with drafting legislative measures that would facilitate elections despite the ongoing martial law, as reported by The Associated Press.
Under Ukrainian law, elections are prohibited during periods of martial law. This legal stipulation has led Zelenskyy to abstain from calling for a vote, a decision that reportedly has considerable support among the Ukrainian populace. The nation has been under martial law since the conflict with Russia erupted in February 2022.
In a recent statement to reporters via WhatsApp, Zelenskyy openly appealed to the United States, alongside European allies, for assistance in ensuring the security necessary to conduct elections. “With such support, Ukraine could be prepared to hold elections within the next 60 to 90 days,” he stated, according to various reports.
This development follows criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has accused Zelenskyy of leveraging the war as a pretext to delay elections. Trump has previously labeled Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections,” cautioning that Ukraine risks losing its democratic standing.
Zelenskyy’s change in tune comes after President Donald Trump accused him of using the war as an excuse to not hold elections. The U.S. president, who has called Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections” in the past, warned that Ukraine was on the verge of not being a democracy anymore.
“They haven’t had an election in a long time,” Trump told Politico. “You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during the 80th United Nations General Assembly, in New York City on Sept. 23, 2025. (Al Drago/Reuters)
In his interview with Politico, Trump also accused Zelenskyy of not being up-to-date on peace talks, saying he heard the Ukrainian president had not read the White House’s most recent proposal.
The Trump administration has been working to secure a peace deal to end the war that has gone on for nearly four years. Late last month, the administration presented a 28-point plan that Ukrainian and European leaders thought was too deferential to Russia’s demands. Ukrainian officials met with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and whittled the plan down.
The Trump administration has been working to secure a peace deal to end the war that has gone on for nearly four years. (Getty Images)
“We are working very actively on all components of potential steps toward ending the war,” Zelenskyy posted on X on Tuesday. “The Ukrainian and European components are now more developed, and we are ready to present them to our partners in the U.S. Together with the American side, we expect to swiftly make the potential steps as doable as possible.”
“We are committed to a real peace and remain in constant contact with the United States,” he added.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the State Department for comment.
