Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that he was ready for elections, provided that the United States and Europe provide Kiev with security guarantees. This position was expressed a day after US President Donald Trump said in an interview with the publication "Politico" that it is time for elections to be held in Ukraine and accused Kiev of using the war as an argument not to organize the vote. This development of the situation in Ukraine is today a major topic in some Western publications, BTA writes.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, martial law has been declared in Ukraine, which does not allow for the holding of elections. The Ukrainian leader has long said that there will be a vote only after the end of the war, writes the "New York Times". Zelensky's new approach appears to be a negotiating tactic to obtain security guarantees from the United States, in response to President Trump's thesis that Russia's victory in military action is inevitable, the American publication notes.
"I will say frankly that I am ready for elections", Zelensky told reporters on an online platform. "Now I want, and I say this openly, that the United States will help me, perhaps together with European colleagues, to guarantee the security of holding elections. Then in the next 60 to 90 days, Ukraine will be ready for elections", the Ukrainian leader added, quoted by the "New York Times". According to him, the guarantees could include weapons, air defense systems and, if necessary, the imposition of more sanctions.
Zelensky noted that if he receives the security guarantees he requested, he will ask parliament to prepare proposals to change the law so that the vote can take place, notes the "New York Times". Western European leaders are unwavering in their support for Ukraine, and Zelensky met with the leaders of Britain and France this week, the American newspaper recalls.
"If army divisions were bear hugs, and bold words – euros in cash, then Volodymyr Zelensky would have ended his week-long tour of European capitals as the best-armed and best-financed leader in the world," writes British journalist Owen Matthews in an article published in the magazine "Spectator".
"We stand with Ukraine", British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer vowed on Monday after a summit with Zelensky and leading European allies at "Downing Street". "We support you in this conflict and in the negotiations for its just and lasting settlement", Starmer also said, quoted by "Spectator". "German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that "no one should doubt our support for Ukraine" and added that "the fate of this country is the fate of Europe". French President Emmanuel Macron assured that Europe has "many cards in its hands", Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni gave Zelensky more hugs, and Pope Leo XIV gave his blessing", the British magazine lists.
"There is no doubt that Ukraine enjoys the sincere support of Europe in its fight against the Russian invasion. But what has been achieved in practice with Zelensky's latest campaign to gather support?", Matthews asks.
The author of the article dwells in a little more detail on the position of each of the countries whose leaders attended the meeting with Zelensky in London.
Meloni recently postponed a vote by the Italian government on the provision of additional military support for Ukraine while peace talks are underway. Macron last week refused to disclose details of the 18 billion euros in Russian Central Bank assets held in France, citing banking secrecy. Merz was a vocal supporter of granting Kiev a "reparations loan", secured by Russian assets frozen in Belgium, but he also insisted that much of that money be spent on expensive German military equipment. Starmer's post-war plans to station British troops on Ukrainian territory are not on anyone's agenda, the British journalist lists.
"Zelensky has been betrayed by his erstwhile allies in Washington and... by his European friends, who, no matter how much they brag, have so far failed to provide him with the money and weapons that Ukraine needs," Matthews also writes. "At the same time, Zelensky is seeing his credibility eroded at home by a brutal corruption scandal in which some of his closest associates are implicated in a €100m war profiteering scheme," Matthews added.
"Trump, who earlier this year declared Zelensky a dictator, this week called for new elections in Ukraine, further undermining Zelensky's position," the British journalist summarizes.
The German newspaper "Süddeutsche Zeitung" also draws attention to the details of Trump's attitude towards Zelensky.
A few months ago, Trump accused Zelensky of being a "dictator" and that his rule was not democratically legitimate, with which the American president adopted the Kremlin's style, the German publication writes. However, if elections are held in Ukraine, it is unclear how all eligible Ukrainians can be guaranteed to participate, the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" points out.
According to the UN, more than 5.8 million Ukrainian citizens have fled their country, and several million live in territories occupied by Russia.
At the beginning of his presidential term, Zelensky considered the possibility of digital voting through the state-owned Dija app. However, some critics see this approach as an opportunity to manipulate the results of the vote, which could bring a puppet pro-Kremlin government to power. In addition, due to major power supply problems caused by Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, not all parts of Ukraine have reliable internet access, the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" notes.
The Ukrainians have apparently not yet submitted to the United States the draft peace plan revised with the help of European allies. "Today and tomorrow we will work at the level of advisors. I think we will be able to hand it over tomorrow," Zelensky told journalists on Tuesday. There is a 20-point framework document, "which is constantly changing", as well as a text on security guarantees and another on the reconstruction of Ukraine. "This will be useful when the war is over or a ceasefire is agreed upon," the Ukrainian leader explained, quoted by "Süddeutsche Zeitung".
At the end of last month, the US government presented Kiev with a 28-point peace plan, which many criticized as "a list of Russian wishes" and a de facto declaration of Ukraine's capitulation, the German publication recalls. Zelensky's government has rejected the demands included in the list for the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The US reaction to the revised version of the peace plan could cause new tensions between Washington and Kiev and its European allies, the publication predicts. "Openly hostile positions towards Ukraine have been removed", Zelensky said on Monday. However, there is still no public clarity on what the final version of the draft peace plan looks like. Trump recently said in an interview that Zelensky "must finally pull himself together and accept things", recalls "Süddeutsche Zeitung".