Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has signalled his readiness to step down after the ongoing war with Russia ends.
“If we finish the war with the Russians, yes, I am ready not to go [for elections] because it’s not my goal, elections,” Zelenskiy said in a video interview with the Axios website on Wednesday. Stressing that his goal was to finish the war unleashed by Russia in February 2022, Zelenskiy said: “I wanted very much, in a very difficult period of time, to be with my country, help my country.” Zelenskiy said he would request the Ukrainian parliament to organize elections if a ceasefire was reached. "During the ceasefire, I think security can give the possibility to have elections. It can be so," he explained.
Zelenskiy said he told US President Donald Trump during the meeting held on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN general assembly summit, that if there is a ceasefire, “we can use this period of time, and I can give this signal to the parliament.”
Recently, Deputy Chairman of Ukraine's Central Election Commission Serhii Dubovyk stated that there were no legislative or financial preconditions for holding elections in Ukraine in 2026.
President Zelenskiy was elected in 2019. The presidential election due in 2024 was halted due to the martial law imposed after Russia’s full-fledged invasion in 2022, giving Moscow an excuse to repeatedly question Zelenskiy’s legitimacy. It’s worth noting that Zelenskiy has maintained a high level of public trust during the nearly four years of war, frequently appearing in public eye, visiting army positions in the frontline.
