Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced Ukraine could be ready to hold an election within “60 to 90 days”, if it has security assurances from other nations.
It follows comments from U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting Ukraine’s Government was using the war to postpone holding elections, saying: “It gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”
Earlier this year, Zelenskyy said he would not run again once the war ends, telling U.S. outlet Axios that his “goal is to finish the war.”
Context
Russia first invaded Ukraine in February 2022. UN data shows more than 14,000 civilians have been killed since then. Neither side releases data on the number of soldiers killed.
Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia’s invasion.
Martial law is a legal state of emergency that gives the military and government extra powers, such as pausing elections.
Zelenskyy was elected as President in May 2019, before the invasion. Ukrainian presidential terms are five years, meaning he would have been up for election in 2024 in normal circumstances.
Election
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In an interview with Politico on Tuesday (local time), Trump suggested Zelenskyy was “using war not to hold an election… It gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”
Also on Tuesday, Zelenskyy told reporters he would ask Ukraine’s Parliament to draft legislation that could allow for an election during martial law. It is the first time he has suggested a timeline for resuming democratic processes. He said: “I ask… that the U.S. help me, maybe together with European colleagues, to ensure the security of an election.”
A February 2025 poll of 2,000 people by the Sociological Centre SOCIS suggested most Ukrainians oppose holding elections during wartime, but may want new political faces once peace returns.
Peace plan
Today, Russia controls at least one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
Since being sworn in as President in January, Trump has engaged with Ukraine and Russia to strike a peace deal, which is currently stalled.
The U.S. has proposed Ukraine cede territory to Russia, including Crimea.
Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. The proposal states that the U.S. would recognise this territory as “de facto Russian,” along with Luhansk and Donetsk. Ukraine has previously said it will not hand over any of its territory to Russia.
Trump’s peace negotiations followed his election promise to end the war within “24 hours”.
