Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that in order to hold elections, the war must first end, or at least a ceasefire must be reached. He made this statement in an interview with Politico, quoted by UNIAN.
"For this we need security. We need a ceasefire - that is, maybe not an end to the war, but a ceasefire, or guarantees of security. In these circumstances, the law must be changed; I hope that our parliament can do this. But it is interesting that 90% of Ukrainians are against the elections. "If anyone cares what Ukrainians think, 90% are against it because they understand how terrible it is to hold elections now, during a war, under fire," he said.
Zelensky stressed that it is difficult to understand how the military and the 8 million Ukrainians abroad will vote during a war. He allowed the elections to be held in Ukraine, but only if US President Donald Trump can negotiate a 2-3-month ceasefire with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky earlier said that Russia initiated elections in Ukraine during a war in order to get rid of him. He stressed that the idea of holding elections during a war was primarily Russia's position. According to him, this idea was later adopted by the Russian side.
"It's no secret. I don't blame the Americans for anything. But they gave the example of Abraham Lincoln, who held elections during a war in America. They said: "Show that you are ready!" And I said: "I am ready," Zelensky said.