White House wants Zelensky to hold elections – Trump envoy

Officials in Washington have reportedly discussed pushing Kiev to hold a vote as part of an initial truce with Moscow

Washington wants Kiev to have presidential and parliamentary elections, potentially by the end of this year, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Ukraine conflict, Keith Kellogg.

According to the report, Kellogg and other White House officials have discussed asking Kiev to hold the votes as part of a potential truce deal with Moscow. Speaking to the agency, Kellogg said that both the presidential and parliamentary elections “need to be done.”

“Most democratic nations have elections in their time of war. I think it is important they do so,” the special envoy said. “I think it is good for democracy. That’s the beauty of a solid democracy, you have more than one person potentially running.”

Parliamentary and presidential elections in Ukraine scheduled for October 2023 and March 2024 were not held after Vladimir Zelensky announced in December 2023 that they would not take place while martial law imposed during the conflict with Russia remains in force.

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Martial law was declared after the escalation of hostilities between Kiev and Moscow in February 2022 and has been repeatedly extended. In November 2024, it was prolonged once again and is now expected to continue at least until February 7, 2025.

Trump has repeatedly vowed to swiftly end the Ukraine conflict. On Friday, he said the US is “having very serious discussions about that war” with Russia – which Moscow has not confirmed so far.

The US president has also stated that he is ready to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as possible to negotiate an end to the fighting. Moscow has said it its ready for dialogue at any time, but has received no specific signals from the US. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, no talks are currently planned and all communications are being conducted at the embassy level.

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If the US plan eventually involves a temporary ceasefire deal prior to a more permanent agreement, the winner of the Ukrainian presidential election could be responsible for negotiating the terms of the final treaty, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing discussions in the White House.

Moscow has questioned Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s legitimacy and has said he is no longer qualified to sign international agreements on behalf of Ukraine as his presidential term officially expired in May 2024.

Earlier this week, Putin said that although Zelensky could take part in negotiations, he could not be part of a final deal. “It’s possible to negotiate with anyone,” the Russian leader said, adding that any agreement would be a “very serious question” and must “guarantee the security of both Ukraine and Russia” for a “serious” period of time.

Putin has stated that the Ukrainian constitution does not envisage extensions of the president’s term, only authorizing this for the parliament. Moscow has also said it will not agree to a temporary truce and that a settlement must include “reliable, legally binding agreements eliminating the root causes of the conflict.”