President Donald Trump said Ukraine should resume elections, arguing the country’s wartime suspension of voting has gone on too long.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Ukraine should hold a presidential election, telling Politico that it is time for Ukrainians to have the chance to choose their leader despite the ongoing war with Russia.
Trump’s remarks came during a 45-minute interview at the White House with Politico’s Dasha Burns, who asked the president directly, “Is it time for Ukraine to hold an election, do you think?”
“Yeah. I think so,” Trump replied. “It’s been a long time…hasn’t been doing particularly well. Yeah, I think it’s time. I think it’s an important time to hold an election.”
He added that Ukraine’s government “is using war not to hold an election,” but said that “the Ukrainian people should have that choice.”
“And maybe Zelensky would win. I don’t know who would win, but they haven’t had an election in a long time,” Trump continued. “You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”
Ukraine remains under martial law, which under Ukrainian law prevents national elections from being held until it is lifted. The country was originally scheduled to hold a presidential vote in 2024.
A Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) poll published in October found that 75 percent of Ukrainians want President Volodymyr Zelensky out of office after the war, though a majority still expressed trust in his wartime leadership. The survey, reported by Breitbart News, also showed that just one in four respondents would vote for Zelensky again.
KIIS analysts noted that Zelensky’s public trust peaked at 90 percent following Russia’s invasion in February 2022, compared to 37 percent before the war. While 41 percent of respondents said he should stay in politics, 36 percent said he should retire afterward, and 14 percent wanted him prosecuted for unspecified actions.
When asked whether Zelensky was delaying an end to the war, Trump pointed to his administration’s new peace proposal, unveiled Sunday night.
“Maybe he’s read it over the night. It would be nice if he would read it, you know. A lot of people are dying,” Trump said. “So, it would be really good if he’d read it.”
The president added that Zelensky’s inner circle had already reviewed the document.
“His people loved the proposal. They really liked it. His lieutenants, his top people, they liked it, but they said he hasn’t read it yet,” Trump said. “I think he should find time to read it.”
Trump’s comments come amid intensifying diplomatic pressure on Kyiv to engage in new peace negotiations with Moscow while maintaining democratic norms as the war drags on into its third year.
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