Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has flatly rejected holding elections during the ongoing war, warning that a wartime vote would amount to a "tsunami" that could fracture the country. "If we want to destroy the country, then we can go in the direction of elections in these times of war," Zelenskyy said.
The pushback came after former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov publicly called for elections despite the Russian invasion, urging Kyiv to find a "legal, safe and realistic mechanism" to restore the democratic process. Fedorov was dismissed in July after serving six months in the post, a move that triggered protests across Ukraine.
Zelenskyy's presidential term expired in May 2024, but Ukrainian law prohibits elections under martial law, imposed after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Zelenskyy said he is open to discussing elections if partners propose concrete conditions for a safe and democratic vote.