President Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that Ukraine is capable of holding national elections once security can be ensured, responding to renewed claims by US President Donald Trump that Kyiv is “using the war” to avoid going to the polls.
Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, a measure that automatically pauses all elections. Zelensky’s current term would have concluded in May 2024, but the conflict has made nationwide voting legally and practically impossible.
Speaking to journalists after Trump’s remarks in a Politico interview, Zelensky said he would request formal proposals to amend the legal framework so that elections could take place within sixty to ninety days, provided international partners guarantee the safety of the process.
He appealed directly to Washington and European allies to help create the conditions for a vote. He stressed that the decision to hold elections belongs to Ukrainians alone and pushed back against suggestions that his administration is unwilling to face voters. Claims that he is “clinging to power”, he said, are unfounded and echo narratives routinely promoted by Moscow.
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Russia has repeatedly argued that Zelensky is no longer a legitimate president and has demanded new elections as part of any ceasefire. Trump has voiced similar accusations without evidence, even implying that Zelensky stands in the way of peace efforts.
Ukrainian lawmakers have warned that voting must only proceed if every eligible citizen can participate, including soldiers on the front lines. Opposition MP Lesia Vasylenko told the BBC that wartime elections are inherently problematic, recalling how the United Kingdom suspended elections during World War Two.
Public opinion within Ukraine has also shifted. A March survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that nearly four in five Ukrainians opposed wartime elections and supported voting only after a full settlement. By September, reluctance had softened, but a clear majority still favoured waiting until security is restored.
Analysts point out that even if the law is changed, the practical barriers remain steep. Millions of refugees abroad, roughly one million active soldiers, unsecured regions, and ongoing missile attacks make it difficult to guarantee safe polling stations.
Zelensky is facing increasing pressure from Trump to accept a peace deal that could involve ceding territory to Russia, a proposal Kyiv has repeatedly rejected. The Ukrainian leader has been touring European capitals this week, urging NATO and EU leaders to help block any US backed settlement that could leave Ukraine vulnerable to future aggression.