Special Envoy Keith Kellogg told Reuters that the Ukrainian parliamentary and presidential elections "need to be done." These elections have not occurred since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, as Ukraine imposed martial law the same month and cannot hold elections while it is invoked. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s five-year term was supposed to end in 2024.
"Most democratic nations have elections in their time of war. I think it is important they do so. I think it is good for democracy. That's the beauty of a solid democracy, you have more than one person potentially running," Kellogg said.
Two people with knowledge of the talks and a former US official briefed about the election proposal said that while the Trump plan is still evolving, Kellogg and other White House officials in recent days have discussed pushing Ukraine to agree to hold elections as part of a truce agreement with Russia, according the outlet. Officials with the Trump administration are also reportedly considering attempting to reach an initial ceasefire before moving on to a more permanent deal.
The former official raised concerns about the US’s push for elections in the country, saying that lifting martial law in Ukraine could trigger a large number of draft-age men to "run for the border" and bring about an exodus of hard currency. It would also ignite political instability, with Zelensky becoming a lame duck.
A Ukrainian government source said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "setting a trap, claiming that if Ukraine doesn't hold elections, he can later ignore any agreements."
