Agencies
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to US President Donald Trump’s remarks suggesting that Ukraine should hold a presidential election, insisting that the decision on the country’s leadership rests with Ukrainian citizens.
Zelensky said that, with respect for Trump, Ukrainians must determine when elections take place, how they are conducted and whom they choose as their leader.
“With all due respect to Trump, it’s up to our society, our people of Ukraine, to choose one leader or another,” Zelensky said, according to the remarks provided.
He also claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to replace Ukraine’s leadership, linking the question of elections to the broader conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
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Addressing the possibility of holding elections, Zelensky said Ukraine could organise a vote if Russia agreed to a two-month ceasefire.
“Please tell Putin: give us two months of complete ceasefire, and we will organise elections,” he said, adding that he would accept the choice made by Ukrainian voters.
The comments highlight the continuing disagreement over how and when Ukraine should hold its next presidential election while the war with Russia continues.
Zelensky’s proposal comes amid renewed tensions between Washington and Kyiv following Trump’s criticism of Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil refineries. Trump said Ukraine needed a new president who could bring the war to an end, prompting Zelensky to defend the right of Ukrainians to choose their own leadership.
Ukraine has not held a presidential election since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Elections are prohibited under the country’s current legal framework during martial law, making any vote dependent on resolving legal, security and logistical challenges.
Zelensky’s proposal therefore places a 60-day ceasefire at the centre of his stated willingness to organise elections, while leaving the possibility dependent on Russia’s agreement and the conditions needed for Ukrainians to vote safely.
