EditZelenskyy signals openness to wartime elections amid U.S. pressure for quick peace deal
The Ukrainian president and officials have repeatedly argued that wartime voting is impractical, especially for the one-fifth of territory under Russian occupation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he was ready to hold elections within three months if the United States and European allies could guarantee the vote’s security, a concession aimed at easing mounting pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to end the nearly four-year war with Russia swiftly.
Zelenskyy’s offer comes amid intensified White House demands for Kyiv to accept a U.S.-backed peace plan, which includes concessions on territory and neutrality that Ukraine has long rejected. Trump reiterated this stance in a Politico interview published Tuesday, accusing Zelenskyy’s government of using the war as a pretext to dodge the ballot box.
“You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore,” Trump said, adding that Russia holds the “upper hand” on the battlefield and that Zelenskyy must “get on the ball and start… accepting things.”
Zelenskyy, whose term expired in May 2025 under martial law that bans elections, dismissed the criticism as “totally inadequate” but signalled flexibility: “I’m ready for elections, and moreover I ask…that the U.S. help me, maybe together with European colleagues, to ensure the security of an election. And then in the next 60-90 days Ukraine will be ready to hold an election.”
The remarks followed high-stakes talks in London on Monday with British, French, and German leaders, where Zelenskyy hashed out “refined documents” on a counter-proposal to present to Washington. “The Ukrainian and European components are now more developed, and we are ready to present them to our partners in the U.S.,” he wrote on X. “Together with the American side, we expect to swiftly make the potential steps as doable as possible.”
Ukraine to share revised peace plan with U.S. after talks with European allies
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, speaking in Helsinki, described the allies’ work on three key documents – a 20-point framework, security guarantees, and a reconstruction plan – as a breakthrough. “I think we are closer to a peace agreement than we have been at any time since the war began,” Stubb said, though he acknowledged the challenges posed by Russian advances in Donbas.
Ukraine’s pushback centres on demands for ironclad security assurances from NATO allies to deter future Russian aggression, a non-negotiable amid ongoing air strikes, nearly a million troops on the front lines, and millions displaced. Zelenskyy and officials have repeatedly argued that wartime voting is impractical, especially for the one-fifth of territory under Russian occupation and areas near combat zones.
Polls reflect public wariness: Ukrainians largely oppose elections now but crave new leadership after a political class stagnant since 2019.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy pledged to task parliament with drafting legislation to enable voting under martial law, a step that could test domestic support.
Meanwhile, at a U.N. Security Council meeting, U.S. Deputy Ambassador Jennifer Locetta emphasized Washington’s role in bridging the Moscow-Kyiv divide, aiming for “a permanent ceasefire and a mutually agreed peace deal that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity for real prosperity.”
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia struck a more ominous tone, claiming U.S.-led proposals grow “less favorable” to Ukraine with each iteration. “Russia will achieve the objectives of its special military operation in any event,” he said. “The only question is will we do this militarily or diplomatically? We reiterate that we prefer the latter course.”
Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN Andriy Melnyk, during his speech at the UN Security Council meeting, stated that Ukraine does not trade its territory and sovereignty.
Among Moscow’s non-starters: full cession of eastern Donbas, which Zelenskyy has consistently rebuffed.
“We are not at a Christmas market. We are not at the infamous Cherkizovsky Bazaar. Russia wants Ukraine to capitulate. But here is my answer: you will get a hole in the bagel, not Ukraine,” Melnyk addressed the Russian representatives.
Trump’s insistence on elections as a peace precondition echoes the infamous 28 February Oval Office summit, where he and Vice President JD Vance publicly berated and humiliated Zelenskyy in a televised shouting match – accusing him of disrespect, ingratitude for U.S. aid, and risking World War III by prolonging the war.
With Reuters and Suspilne, edited by g.g.
Caption: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives at Palazzo Chigi ahead of a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome, Italy, 9 December 2025. EPA/RICCARDO ANTIMIANI
Updated: December 10, 2025 - 07:28
