The Donald Trump administration has begun discussing the need for elections in Ukraine, potentially by the end of the year, amid efforts to negotiate an end to the war launched by Russia.
The U.S. news agency Reuters reported this on Saturday, citing well-informed sources, Ukrinform reports.
“The Trump plan is still evolving and no policy decisions have been made, but Kellogg and other White House officials have discussed in recent days pushing Ukraine to agree to elections as part of an initial truce with Russia,” several people familiar with the discussions told the agency.
Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, said in an interview that Ukrainian presidential and parliamentary elections, suspended during the war with Russia, “need to be done.”
“Most democratic nations have elections in their time of war. I think it is important they do so,” Kellogg said. “I think it is good for democracy. That’s the beauty of a solid democracy, you have more than one person potentially running.”
Trump officials are also debating whether to push for an initial ceasefire before trying to broker a more permanent deal, the two people familiar with the Trump administration discussions said. If presidential elections were to take place in Ukraine, the winner could be responsible for negotiating a longer-term pact with Moscow, the people said.
It is unclear how such a Trump proposal would be greeted in Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine could hold elections this year if the fighting ends and strong security guarantees are in place to deter Russia from renewing hostilities.
Zelensky also noted that, under current law, elections can only be held after the end of martial law. Any legislative changes to allow voting during wartime, he said, would be “very difficult” as Ukrainian society largely opposes the idea.
Source: Trump administration discussing need for elections in Ukraine – Reuters
