Zelensky responds to Trump’s election criticism

Kiev is ready to call a vote, but only if the US and European backers give it security guarantees, the Ukrainian leader has said

RT: A man casts a ballot at a polling station during Ukrainian parliamentary election in Kiev, on July 21, 2019. ©  Sergii Kharchenko / NurPhoto / Getty Images

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has said he is willing to hold a presidential election but only if the West provides Kiev with security guarantees.

Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May 2024, and he has refused to hold a vote, citing martial law. Russia has since proclaimed him “illegitimate,” saying that legal power in Ukraine now rests with the parliament. Moscow has also pointed out that Zelensky’s status could pose problems for signing a peace deal.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to hold an election, while rebuking Kiev for “talk[ing] about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.” In February, Trump went so far as to brand Zelensky “a dictator.”

Zelensky denied that he was trying to “cling to power,” declaring on Tuesday that he is “ready for the elections.” However, he insisted that Kiev needs help from the US and European countries “to ensure security” from recurring Russian strikes while a vote is held.

“If that happens, Ukraine will be ready to conduct elections in the next 60 to 90 days,” Zelensky said. He added that he had not discussed the issue with Washington and that he would now ask the Ukrainian parliament to draft amendments to martial law legislation.

Trump’s remarks come amid deliberations around a US-drafted peace plan, which reportedly includes proposals that Ukraine hold elections within 100 days of reaching a ceasefire with Russia. Media reports have also indicated that Kiev and Western capitals have been grappling over the issue of post-conflict security guarantees.

Meanwhile, Zelensky’s approval rating has dropped to 20.3% following a large corruption scandal in the energy sector implicating his close associates, UNN reported, citing an Info Sapiens poll.

At the same time, Valery Zaluzhny, Zelensky’s potential primary rival and former top commander, is polling at 19.1%. While the general, now serving as the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, has dismissed rumors of political ambitions, media reports have claimed he is secretly laying the groundwork for an electoral campaign.