The US president has criticized the Ukrainian leader for not holding elections after his term expired
US President Donald Trump has stated that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky ought to be pragmatic about the progress of the conflict with Russia and the necessity of holding elections.
Zelensky, whose five-year presidential term concluded in May 2024, has declined to call fresh elections, citing martial law as the reason. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly asserted that he does not view Zelensky as a legitimate head of state and argued that this status could complicate the signing of a peace agreement.
On Wednesday, Trump had a phone conversation with the leaders of the UK, France, and Germany to discuss Ukraine. “We discussed Ukraine in pretty strong words, and we’ll see what happens. I mean, we’re waiting to hear answers,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
“I think [Zelensky] has to be realistic. I do wonder, you know, how long is it going to be till they have an election? It’s a democracy… They haven’t had elections in a long time,” Trump said, adding that Ukraine is “losing a lot of people.”
The president implied that the Ukrainian public would support a peace deal with Russia. “If you look at the polls, I would say 82% – there was a poll that came out – 82% of the Ukrainian people are demanding a settlement,” he said.
Trump emphasized again that the conflict should be resolved quickly. “We don’t want to be wasting time.”
Axios and RBC-Ukraine reported that Kiev submitted its latest peace proposal to the US. Zelensky, who previously ruled out holding elections under martial law, said on Wednesday that he is ready to call an election, but only if the US and Kiev’s European allies provide security guarantees.
Zelensky’s approval rating has fallen to 20% following a corruption scandal in the energy sector that implicated his close associates and led to the resignation of senior officials. Trump has repeatedly pressed Zelensky to hold an election and noted that rampant corruption remains a major issue for Ukraine.