Zelensky: ready to hold elections 'tomorrow' but impossible during war
In a CBS interview, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be ready to hold elections "tomorrow" if circumstances permitted, but that voting during active hostilities is impossible under Ukraine's Constitution, electoral law and the security situation. He also announced "difficult and unpopular" fiscal measures to close a wartime budget deficit and signaled openness to reciprocal de-escalation steps with Russia.
Key points
- Zelensky said elections during the war are impossible due to constitutional, electoral-law and security reasons.
- He said a pause in hostilities of at least several months is needed to prepare voting.
- Roughly 9 million Ukrainians are now abroad; before the full-scale invasion, about 500,000 voted from abroad.
- Zelensky questioned how residents of temporarily occupied territories could vote given the presence of Russian soldiers.
- He called it a mistake that some senior figures, including former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, advocate wartime elections.
- Zelensky announced "difficult and unpopular" measures to address a €23 billion ($26.5 billion) military-spending gap.
- He said Ukraine is ready for reciprocal de-escalation, including halting energy-infrastructure strikes, and that Russian refineries remain legitimate military targets.
Why it matters
The statement reframes Ukraine's elections debate by tying any vote to a ceasefire rather than to a separate political process. It sets concrete preconditions — months of calm, participation of an estimated 9 million Ukrainians abroad, and voting access in occupied territories — and publicly disciplines domestic voices, naming former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who advocate wartime elections. By pairing the political message with a warning of "difficult, unpopular" fiscal measures and a €23 billion military-spending gap, Zelensky signals that economic resilience is being treated as part of the same wartime package as the elections question.
What happened
In an interview with CBS, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready to hold elections "tomorrow" but that this is impossible during active hostilities, citing Ukraine's Constitution, electoral legislation, and the security situation. He said a pause in the war of at least several months is needed to prepare voting, and he questioned how residents of temporarily occupied territories could participate given the presence of Russian soldiers. Zelensky noted that roughly 9 million Ukrainians are now abroad, compared with about 500,000 who voted from abroad before the full-scale invasion, and said it is difficult to organize full-fledged voting while children cannot safely attend school. He criticized senior figures — including former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov — who call for wartime elections, saying they "want to be in politics." Separately, Zelensky announced "difficult and unpopular" decisions to address Ukraine's large wartime budget deficit, citing a €23 billion ($26.5 billion) gap in military spending and seven draft laws he said are necessary to fund the deficit. He also said Ukraine is ready for reciprocal de-escalation, including halting strikes on critical infrastructure, while maintaining that Russian refineries are legitimate military targets. In another reported remark, Zelensky said the war cannot end in a "win-win" outcome because too many people have died.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian sources lead with the elections-versus-war framing, foregrounding constitutional and security barriers and Zelensky's readiness to vote once a ceasefire holds. They emphasize Zelensky's public criticism of domestic figures — naming former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov — who advocate wartime elections, framing such calls as politically motivated rather than practical. Ukrainian coverage also pairs the political message with Zelensky's remark that the war cannot end in a "win-win" outcome because of Ukrainian casualties, anchoring the story in the human cost of the conflict.
How international sources describe it
The Arabic-language Qatari outlet Al Jazeera leads with the fiscal dimension, foregrounding Zelensky's announcement of "difficult and unpopular" measures to close a large budget deficit and the €23 billion military-spending gap. It situates Ukraine's budget pressure within the broader energy-strike exchange with Russia, including US President Donald Trump's request that Ukraine halt attacks on Russian diesel infrastructure and Ukraine's counter-justification that Russian refineries are legitimate military targets given repeated Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Background
Ukraine's Constitution and electoral legislation restrict holding elections during martial law and active hostilities. Before the full-scale invasion, roughly 500,000 Ukrainians voted from abroad in elections, compared with Zelensky's estimate of about 9 million Ukrainians abroad today. European states agreed late last year to grant Ukraine a €90 billion ($104 billion) loan to cover military and civilian deficits during 2026 and 2027. US President Donald Trump has asked Ukraine to stop striking Russian energy infrastructure as part of a proposed mutual halt of energy-sector attacks. US Special Envoy Jared Kushner said at the YES annual forum in Kyiv on September 12 that ending the war requires "finding the right formula that works for everyone."