President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is “ready” to step down after the war ends, adding he does not intend to remain in power during peacetime.
“My goal is to finish the war,” he told Barak Ravid on The Axios Show. “Not to continue to run for office.”
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Zelensky vowed to ask Ukraine’s parliament to organize elections if a ceasefire is reached, despite the country’s constitution explicitly banning elections under martial law.
“During the ceasefire, I think security can give the possibility to have elections. It can be so,” Zelensky said.
Asked if his job would be finished once the war was over, Zelensky answered that he would be “ready” to step down. He added that Ukrainians may want “a leader with … a new mandate” to make the decisions necessary to secure a long-term peace.
Speaking in New York just before leaving the UN General Assembly, Zelensky said he told US President Donald Trump during their meeting on Tuesday that a ceasefire could pave the way for elections.
“We can use this period of time, and I can give this signal to the parliament,” he said.
Zelensky was elected in a landslide in 2019 and would have completed his five-year term in May 2024 had the war not postponed elections. His popularity soared to around 90% in the early months of Russia’s invasion and remains above 60%, despite criticism at home and abroad.
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In July, Zelensky faced the first major domestic protests of the war after his parliamentary allies attempted – and quickly reversed – a move to weaken Ukraine’s independent anti-corruption agencies.
In late March, David Arakhamia, head of Ukraine’s Servant of the People party, denied reports of a meeting in the President’s Office about election preparations.
He dismissed The Economist’s claim that such talks had taken place, saying:
“No elections are being prepared, and no preparations are underway. All parliamentary parties and groups have agreed that elections should be held six months after martial law is lifted. And essentially, our position has not changed since then.”
Deputy Head of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Serhiy Dubovyk echoed that elections will take place only after martial law ends, but noted a transitional period will be needed to rebuild infrastructure and adapt the process to postwar conditions.
He stressed that legal changes should be drafted in advance, especially to expand overseas polling stations.
By law, parliamentary elections must be held within 60 days after martial law is cancelled, and presidential elections within 90. However, the CEC says this timeframe will be too short to prepare properly.
Zelensky’s political opponents also agree that elections cannot take place while fighting continues and millions remain displaced.