Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that holding elections in Ukraine is possible only if there is a ceasefire and the creation of a full-fledged security infrastructure. According to him, without these prerequisites, it is impossible to talk about a legitimate and safe electoral process.
Answering journalists' questions, the head of state emphasized that the key condition for the start of the electoral process is the cessation of hostilities. "This requires a security infrastructure. A ceasefire is needed for the elections. If there is a ceasefire, one or another date for the elections, we are ready for the elections," Zelensky noted.
The President recalled that earlier there was talk of the need for at least 60–90 days to prepare for the vote. At the same time, he emphasized that the specific timeframe may change and will depend on agreements with international partners, as well as the results of negotiations with the Russian side.
According to Zelensky, the main task of the authorities is to ensure the possibility of holding legitimate elections with a legitimate result that will not raise doubts either in Ukrainian society or in the international community. He also emphasized the need for close cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada to make changes to the legislation that will allow organizing the electoral process without additional burden on citizens in difficult war conditions.
The President recalled that he has repeatedly stated that elections during a war are possible only if there is a complete ceasefire. To achieve this result, in his opinion, the United States should conduct direct negotiations with Russia.
At the same time, according to the Central Election Commission, the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine has already led to serious problems in the electoral infrastructure. Currently, only about 75% of polling stations are operational in the country, making it difficult to organize a nationwide vote.
Against this background, the head of the Obolon district state administration in Kyiv stated that the capital has a sufficient number of shelters, which theoretically allows holding elections in compliance with security requirements. At the same time, the issue of holding elections at the national level remains open and directly depends on the security situation in the country.
