'Maybe Zelenskyy would win': Trump says Ukraine should hold elections despite war

In his opinion, the war in Ukraine is being used to avoid holding elections.

"They haven't had an election in a long time. You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it's not a democracy anymore," he said.

The politician added that elections could even confirm support for Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"And maybe Zelenskyy would win. I don't know who would win, but they (Ukrainians - ed.) haven't had an election in a long time," Trump said.

Elections in Ukraine

Holding early presidential and parliamentary elections during martial law in Ukraine is theoretically possible, but organizing voting under such conditions carries serious risks for political stability. The greatest threat is the lack of security guarantees for voters amid constant attacks across the country.

On October 26, regular local elections were scheduled to take place in Ukraine, but they were unable to be held due to martial law.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is fundamentally ready for elections. Still, they can only take place if there is a complete ceasefire — on land, in the air, and at sea.

The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament), Ruslan Stefanchuk, also emphasized in an interview with RBC-Ukraine that the country is preparing for elections after the end of martial law. According to him, these elections will be unprecedented.

At the same time, as Politico reported, during a meeting with the Servant of the People faction, Zelenskyy allegedly expressed readiness to participate in any elections after the end of the war. However, the outlet's sources claim the conversation was different.

More details can be found in the RBC-Ukraine report.