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Ukraine's president expressed willingness to hold new elections during the ongoing war with Russia, but emphasized that security conditions must first be established for any vote to take place.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday he is "ready for the elections" and has asked lawmakers to prepare proposals for amending the country's election laws to allow voting during martial law. The statement came after US President Donald Trump accused Kyiv of "using war" to avoid holding elections.
"I am now asking, I declare this openly, for the United States of America to help me, possibly together with European colleagues, to ensure security for holding elections," Zelenskyy said during a virtual media briefing with journalists.
Ukraine has not held national elections since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in Feb. 2022. The country's martial law, imposed on Feb. 24, 2022, prohibits elections during wartime—a provision common in many democracies facing military threats.
Ukrainian cities face near-daily bombardment from Russian drones and missiles, while hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian troops remain deployed along active front lines. The security situation presents significant logistical challenges for any nationwide vote, including protecting polling stations and enabling displaced citizens to participate.
Zelenskyy told journalists he is requesting that parliament develop "proposals regarding the possibility of amending the legislative foundations and the law on elections during martial law." Any election would require fundamental changes to Ukraine's current legal framework, which was designed for peacetime conditions.
The Ukrainian president also provided details about ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war, revealing that the initial US plan has been restructured into three separate documents. According to Zelenskyy, the framework now consists of a 20-point agreement, a paper on security guarantees, and another document addressing Ukraine's post-war reconstruction.
"There are three. Yes, that's true. We are discussing them with the Americans and have already started discussions with the Europeans," Zelenskyy said. He indicated he hoped to send an updated version of the plan to Washington on Wednesday.
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Addressing Ukraine's aspirations to join the NATO military alliance, Zelenskyy acknowledged that the United States and several other member countries do not currently support Ukrainian membership. "Look, we are realists, we truly want to be in NATO. In my opinion, this is fair. But we know for sure that neither the United States of America nor a few other countries, to be frank, see Ukraine in NATO at this time," he told journalists.
Ukraine's potential NATO membership has been a contentious issue throughout the war, with some Western leaders expressing concerns that admission could escalate the conflict with Russia.
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