The United States is pushing for elections in Ukraine, possibly by the end of the year, if a ceasefire with Russia is reached in the coming months. This was told to Reuters, quoted by FOCUS, by a senior representative of President Donald Trump.
Keith Kellogg, who is Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, said in an interview that the presidential and parliamentary elections, which were delayed because of the war with Russia, "must be held".
"Most democratic countries hold elections during times of war. I think it's important for Ukraine to do the same," Kellogg said.
"I think it's good for democracy. "The beauty of democracy is that there is more than one candidate running for office," he said.
Trump and Kellogg have repeatedly stated publicly that they are working to draft a ceasefire to end the war in the first months of the new presidential administration.
So far, little is known about their plan to end the bloodiest military conflict in Europe since World War II. They have not announced when they intend to announce it.
Trump's plan is still in the making, with no clear policies. The idea of holding elections in Ukraine has been discussed between Kellogg and other senior administration officials in the White House. The aim is for this to be part of a ceasefire and freeze in hostilities with Russia, sources told Reuters.
The Trump team is also considering whether to first insist on a ceasefire before negotiating a more permanent truce. People familiar with the administration’s plan say that the newly elected Ukrainian president would be responsible for making peace with Moscow.
It is not yet clear how Kiev would react to such a proposal. President Zelensky has already said that elections can be held if hostilities are stopped and there are solid guarantees that Russian aggression will be stopped.
A senior Ukrainian government official told Reuters that the Trump administration has not yet asked Ukraine to hold elections by the end of the year.