Kyiv after a Russian airstrike in a residential neighborhood, September 28, 2025. ROMAN PILIPEY / AFP
Donald Trump, in his efforts to put pressure on Volodymyr Zelensky, stated in an interview with Politico published on Tuesday, December 9, that it was "important" for Ukraine to organize a presidential election, accusing the Ukrainian president of "using war" as an excuse to avoid it. The American president had already criticized Zelensky, whose term, originally set to end in 2024, was extended because of the Russian invasion. In February, he had called him a "dictator without elections" as he attempted to force Kyiv to sign an extremely unfavorable agreement regarding the country's natural resources. Trump's accusations echoed those of Vladimir Putin's Russia, which has regularly questioned the Ukrainian president's legitimacy and therefore his capacity to sign a peace agreement.
The American president's attack arrives as he steps up threats aimed at forcing his Ukrainian counterpart to accept a peace agreement that would be disadvantageous for Ukraine. The draft framework agreement under discussion also references the holding of elections in Ukraine at the end of fighting –"within 100 days" after the signing of the agreement, according to the first 28-point version presented by the United States, and which was heavily influenced by Russia. The revised European version amended this to "as soon as possible" after the agreement.
