Zelenskyy Signals Elections Possible if Security Guarantees Are Secured

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00:00Zelensky signals elections possible if security guarantees are secured.

00:05Ukraine's leadership is edging toward a major political milestone,

00:08even as the war that began in 2022 continues to shape every aspect of national life.

00:14According to Fox News, President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country could be prepared

00:18to hold its first election since Russia's invasion, but only if international partners

00:23provide the security assurances needed to protect the process. Zelensky said two factors block

00:28wartime elections, securing voters and updating laws that prohibit voting under martial law.

00:34I have asked lawmakers from my party to work on legislative proposals to allow Ukraine to hold

00:39elections while the country remains under martial law, he told the AP. Martial law, in place since

00:45February 2022, has frozen the electoral calendar, and his choice not to call a vote is widely supported.

00:53Speaking via WhatsApp, he said he is now seeking outside help to advance the process.

00:58Moreover, I am now asking, and I am stating this openly, for the United States, possibly

01:04together with our European colleagues, to help me ensure security for holding elections,

01:09he said. And then, within the next 60 to 90 days, Ukraine will be ready to hold them.

01:16His remarks followed Donald Trump's criticism of Zelensky for postponing elections,

01:21accusing him of using the war to delay democratic processes.

01:23Trump has called Zelensky a dictator without elections, warning Ukraine is drifting from

01:29democratic norms. They haven't had an election in a long time, Trump told Politico.

01:35You talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it's not a democracy anymore.

01:40In the same interview, Trump accused Zelensky of lagging on peace talks,

01:44and claimed he hadn't reviewed the White House's latest proposal.

01:48Washington recently unveiled a 28-point plan that Kyiv and European partners said favored Russia.

01:53Ukrainian officials later met with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and trimmed the proposal.

01:58We are working very actively on all components of potential steps toward ending the war,

02:04Zelensky wrote on X.

02:05The Ukrainian and European components are now more developed,

02:10and we are ready to present them to our partners in the U.S.

02:13We are committed to a real peace and remain in constant contact with the United States, he added.