US President Donald Trump has urged Ukraine to hold elections, questioning the country's democratic credentials in an interview with Politico published on Tuesday.
He appeared to be issuing a new challenge to Vladimir Zelensky, whose presidential term expired in May 2024, but has refused to hold presidential elections, citing the state of emergency.
Zelensky was elected in 2019 and declared in December 2023 that Ukraine would not hold presidential or parliamentary elections as long as martial law remained in force. It was imposed after the escalation of the conflict with Russia in February 2022 and has since been repeatedly extended by parliament.
Trump told Politico that Kiev should no longer use the ongoing conflict as an excuse to delay a vote.
“They haven’t had elections in a long time,” Trump said. “You know, they talk about democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not democracy anymore.”
Asked directly whether Ukraine should go to the polls, Trump said "it's time" and argued that it was "an important time to hold an election," adding that while "they're using the war to not hold an election," Ukrainians "should have this choice."
A major corruption scandal has also damaged Zelensky's reputation at home, as Ukraine's forces face a series of setbacks on the front lines. Meanwhile, Moscow has repeatedly said it considers him an illegitimate leader.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently noted that, while Russia is also a party to the military conflict, it nevertheless held presidential elections in March 2024.
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