Zelenskyy: I would run in elections if held during the war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he would run in a presidential election if one were held while the war with Russia is still under way. He made the remarks in an interview with NBC News' Meet the Press, days after US President Donald Trump said Ukraine should "get a new president" and Russia rejected a longer ceasefire for a vote.

Asked whether he would stand if Ukraine could hold an election, Zelenskyy replied: "If it will be during the war – of course. It's my responsibility, because I have to defend my country from the very beginning to end of this war." He said Ukraine would need six months after the war ends to prepare for elections.

Demand for a ceasefire

Zelenskyy said that if Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin want an election, it is first of all a choice for the Ukrainian people, but in that case he has asked for at least 60 days of ceasefire without any other negotiations. In that time, Ukraine would try to change its laws and prepare security infrastructure. He admitted the idea looks dangerous and hard to believe, since a fair choice is needed and soldiers must be able to vote. He stressed that claims he does not want elections are untrue.

Background

On 10 October, Trump accused Zelenskyy of being unwilling to end the war and said Ukraine should get a new president who could make a deal with Russia. His comments followed an announcement of an agreement with Putin on supplying Russian diesel fuel to US and global markets.

Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov responded that Russia is not prepared to observe a 60-day ceasefire for elections in Ukraine. He said Putin would only be willing to halt strikes on election day. On 14 October, Zelenskyy said he was confident that any newly elected Ukrainian leader would not make a deal with Putin and would keep defending the country.