Zelenskyy says he would run in elections if held during the war
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he would stand in a wartime presidential election as a duty to defend Ukraine, and is ready to explore a vote if Russia agrees to a 60-day ceasefire.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he would stand in a presidential election if one were held during the war, calling it his duty to defend the country “from the beginning until the end of the war”.
Asked in an NBC Meet the Press interview aired on 18 October, he said: “If it takes place during the war, of course, it is my duty, because I must defend my country from the beginning until the end of the war,” Ukrinform reported on Monday via IANS.
Zelenskyy said he was ready to explore ways of holding a vote during the conflict if Russia agreed to a 60-day ceasefire. The window would let Ukraine amend its election legislation and build security infrastructure for a fair vote — including letting front-line soldiers cast ballots, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
He said Ukrainian law requires a presidential vote at least six months after hostilities end. Ukraine’s last presidential elections were held in 2019, and martial law imposed in 2022 prohibits elections for security reasons.
The remarks follow US President Donald Trump’s call earlier this month for Ukraine to hold a presidential election, and his 10 October accusation that Zelenskyy did not want to end the war and that Ukraine should choose a new leader who would make a deal with Russia. On 14 October Zelenskyy said he was confident a newly elected Ukrainian president would not make a deal with Vladimir Putin. See Flip News’s Ukraine war hub for continuing coverage.
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