Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky gestures as he delivers a press conference with the secretary general of NATO following their meeting in Kyiv on February 3, 2026. GENYA SAVILOV / AFP
Ukraine will only hold elections once it has security guarantees in place and a ceasefire with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday, pushing back at suggestions he was planning to stage fresh ballots under US pressure. Elections in Ukraine have been effectively suspended since Russia invaded in 2022 due to martial law.
"We will move to elections when all the necessary security guarantees are in place," Zelensky told reporters, including Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists, in a voice note. "I have said it's very simple to do: establish a ceasefire, and there will be elections," he added.
If Russia also agrees, it may be possible to "end hostilities by summer," Zelensky said. The Financial Times reported earlier that Ukraine was mulling the possibility of holding a presidential election within the next three months, after facing pressure from Washington. Zelensky has repeatedly said Ukraine can hold elections after a peace deal with Russia is signed, but has recently signaled willingness for a speedy vote as part of a US plan to end the war.
