Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky must look realistically at the current situation in the Ukrainian conflict, US President Donald Trump said.
“Zelensky must be realistic“, he said, adding that he wondered how long he would stay in power. “This is a long time. They haven't had elections in a long time. It leads to a lot of people losing out“, he told reporters.
According to Trump, the lack of elections forces the Republican to question democracy in the country. He added that corruption in Ukraine is widespread and that 82% of Ukrainians want a solution.
A day earlier, on December 9, the Ukrainian president announced his readiness to hold elections under martial law. He said this required addressing two issues: security – “how to do it under attack” – and legislation that would guarantee their legitimacy.
If these conditions are met, he added, Ukraine would be ready to hold elections within 60-90 days.
Zelensky has been in power since 2019. Ukraine’s next parliamentary and presidential elections were scheduled for October 2023 and March 31, 2024, respectively. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s term officially expired on May 20, 2024.
In order to hold the elections, martial law, which was introduced on February 24, 2022 and is extended every three months, must be lifted in Ukraine. The law establishing its legal regime (Article 19) prohibits amendments to the Constitution or the election of a president, Rada, and local governments under these conditions.
Kiev insists that the president will continue to exercise his powers legally until the next elections are held in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. Moscow, however, argues that the legitimacy of the current Ukrainian leader has been exhausted.