Zelenskyy rejects wartime elections citing "huge risk" and "split" for Ukraine

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August 23, 2026 / 4:59 AM EDT

/ CBS/AFP

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the idea of holding elections during the war with Russia, four days after the former defense minister publicly called for them. "I believe that in a war like this, elections as such are a huge risk. Elections right now are a tsunami for the country that will split Ukraine," Zelenskyy said in remarks made public Sunday.Ukraine's former defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was fired last month, posted a video Tuesday where he called for the country to be given a chance to go to the polls.In the video, Fedorov said "democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia," and called for a "legal, safe and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to restore a full democratic process even amidst a prolonged war.""We are fighting precisely because we want to remain a free European state," he added.