Trump wants elections in Ukraine in 2025
US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg (Getty Images)
The United States wants Ukraine to hold elections by the end of 2025 if it can agree on a ceasefire with Russia in the coming months, Reuters reports.
According to US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg, if the parties reach a ceasefire, "presidential and parliamentary elections should be held."
"Most democratic nations have elections in their time of war. I think it is important they do so. I think it is good for democracy. That's the beauty of a solid democracy, you have more than one person potentially running," Kellogg said.
Earlier, he and President Donald Trump said they were working on a deal for Ukraine in the first few months of the new US administration. It is currently unclear what exactly the peace plan is, and it is likely still being developed.
According to two Reuters sources familiar with the talks, Kellogg and other White House officials are discussing the possibility of pressuring Ukraine to agree to elections as part of a truce with Russia.
They are discussing whether to insist on a ceasefire before concluding a permanent peace agreement. According to the interlocutors, the winner of the presidential election could be responsible for negotiations with Moscow.
Sources in the Ukrainian government told Reuters that the Trump administration has not yet made a formal request to hold presidential elections by the end of the year.
What Zelenskyy said about the elections
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously emphasized that presidential and parliamentary elections cannot be held during the war. He also said that the topic of elections is being dispersed in Russia, supporting the narrative of the alleged illegitimacy of the Ukrainian president.
In his opinion, the hot phase of the war must end and security guarantees must be provided for the elections. "If we manage to do this, we will have a strong army, a strong weapons package, and security guarantees, and then we can think about not having martial law in Ukraine. And if there is no martial law, then, in principle, the parliament will support a particular election date," he added.
Earlier, Keith Kellogg said that there is a "credible plan of action" to end the war in Ukraine, and it is about months, not years. Before that, Donald Trump said that he was allegedly already in serious talks with Russia.
