Zelensky stated his condition for holding elections in Ukraine
He is asking Putin to agree to a 60-day ceasefire.
Zelensky announced his condition for holding elections in Ukraine
Elections will be held in Ukraine if Vladimir Putin agrees to a 60-day ceasefire, Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl.
In response to the US president's statements that Ukraine needs a new leader, Zelensky stressed that deciding when to hold elections and whom to elect is a matter for the Ukrainians themselves to decide.
"President Trump said that we—Ukraine—need a new president. With all due respect to President Trump, choosing a leader is the business of our society, our people. Yes, we are at war, and holding elections is indeed very difficult," Zelensky said on ABC.
According to him, the issue is not only that Ukrainian law prohibits holding elections during wartime, but also that there is currently no security infrastructure to allow people to vote.
"If President Trump really wants changes through elections—and I have told his team about this—let them convey to Putin: give us two months, a 60-day breather. A complete ceasefire for 60 days—and we will organize the elections. Of course, we will be ready to accept any choice of our people—specifically the Ukrainian people," says Zelensky.
A day earlier, in a conversation with journalists, Trump suggested that Ukraine "elect a new president who can make a deal."