Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that Ukraine cannot hold national elections without at least a temporary cease-fire, warning that voting during Russia’s ongoing assault would be unsafe, illegal and deeply unfair.
His remarks, delivered to a virtual meeting of the international “Coalition of the Willing,” underscored the mounting political pressure Kyiv faces as the war grinds into its fourth year.
Ukrainian law bans elections under martial law – a measure imposed just days after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Zelenskyy’s term expired in May 2024, but wartime rules froze the electoral calendar, prompting Moscow to declare him “illegitimate” and fueling criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who began his second term in January.
“There must be a cease-fire – at least for the duration of the election process and voting,” Zelenskyy told the coalition, citing reports from Ukrinform and other local outlets. “Frankly speaking, we believe America should talk to the Russian side about this.”
Trump has accused Zelenskyy of “using war” to stay in office.
In a Dec. 9 interview with Politico, he suggested Ukrainians should “vote soon” and added, “Maybe Zelenskyy would win.” Zelenskyy countered the same day, saying he was ready to organize elections within 60 to 90 days if the U.S. and EU could guarantee security.
By Thursday, he shifted the emphasis: a vote requires a truce, he said – a reflection of Russia’s missile barrages, drone attacks and its control of roughly 18% of Ukrainian territory as of late 2025.
The debate over elections comes as Washington pushes for movement on a broader peace framework.
Trump has privately urged clarity before Christmas, though Ukraine says no fixed deadline exists. Zelenskyy has asked parliament to explore legal changes for wartime voting, but no election has been scheduled.
Zelenskyy said the U.S. believes Moscow will only accept a nationwide cease-fire once a comprehensive peace agreement is signed – a position reinforced in repeated U.S.-Russia contacts.
Kyiv, however, refuses any partial pauses that might give Russia space to regroup.
Türkiye has taken a different approach.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has pressed for targeted truces to protect critical energy and water infrastructure, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and routes supplying occupied Crimea.
Ukraine’s energy network has endured devastating strikes – more than 1,800 missiles and 50,000 drones since early 2025, according to Deputy Energy Minister Roman Andarak, damaging thousands of facilities and plunging millions into darkness.
Zelenskyy said he supported Erdoğan’s push for technical talks and potential leader-level meetings, but added that Russia has rebuffed the effort, insisting a full agreement must come first.
Ankara’s mediation builds on the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, though no breakthroughs have been reported.
What was supposed to be a large New Year’s Eve prisoner exchange has stalled, Zelenskyy said, accusing Russia of deliberately slowing negotiations.
The sides staged the war’s largest swap in May 2025 – 1,000 prisoners each – with thousands more exchanged in smaller deals through November.
Kyiv has been hoping to free at least 1,200 Ukrainians still held in harsh Russian facilities, including the notorious Polar Wolf penal colony, but talks have frozen as Moscow ties releases to political concessions.
Ukraine’s revised peace plan includes an “all-for-all” exchange of POWs, civilians and abducted children. More than 19,000 Ukrainian minors remain missing, according to UN reporting.
Zelenskyy said he believes the U.S. can help accelerate Ukraine’s stalled EU membership bid, which has been slowed by objections from Hungary and skepticism in parts of Europe.
He proposed writing an EU-membership clause directly into a peace framework.
That would effectively require Washington to use its influence – and its $175 billion in aid since 2022 – to keep the process moving.
Ukraine secured EU candidate status in 2022 and opened talks in 2023, completing the first major negotiation chapter by late 2025.
Zelenskyy sounded more resigned when discussing NATO. “The U.S. does not want to see us in NATO,” he said, repeating what he described as direct American messaging.
The United States has long opposed moving Ukraine toward membership during active conflict, and the stance has hardened under Trump.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reiterated the alliance’s backing for Ukraine’s “irreversible path” to membership but stressed that reforms – and an end to the war – must come first.
Kyiv has sent Washington a scaled-down 20-point peace plan, trimmed from the original 28 points to streamline negotiations.
The document covers security guarantees, reconstruction, prisoner exchanges, child repatriation and other thematic areas, with detailed annexes expected.
The thorniest issue remains territory.
Russia insists on full control of Donetsk and Luhansk – about 60% of which it currently occupies – and has rejected any Ukrainian presence there.
Zelenskyy dismissed a U.S. idea for Ukrainian troop withdrawals from remaining pockets of Donetsk to create a “free economic zone” or demilitarized zone. “This is not in Ukraine’s interests,” he said, citing enforcement risks and Russian infiltration.
Another major sticking point is the Russian-controlled ZNPP, where shelling continues to raise meltdown fears. The IAEA reported eight safety violations in November alone.
Ukraine has received a U.S. draft outlining possible security guarantees – including ideas for British, French or Turkish peacekeepers – and is preparing a counter-proposal.
Zelenskyy said any agreement must be legally binding, including approval by the U.S. Congress, to avoid future breaches.
Washington wants clarity on a framework by Christmas.
Zelenskyy said Kyiv also wants speed but won’t sacrifice substance: “The result is important for us.”
