Zelensky says Ukraine will hold elections if Russia agrees to 60-day ceasefire
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told ABC News that Ukraine is ready to hold elections if Russia agrees to a full 60-day ceasefire, and asked US President Donald Trump to relay the proposal to Vladimir Putin. The statement was a direct response to Trump's public call for Ukraine to elect a new leader, and came after a Trump-Putin phone call that produced an announced deal on Russian diesel supplies to the US market.
Key points
- Zelensky said in an ABC News interview: 'Tell Putin to give us two months, 60 days of full ceasefire, and we will organize elections.'
- Trump publicly called on Ukraine to find a new leader, saying Zelensky 'is not ready to make deals' and could have made many agreements but 'for some reason never did.'
- On October 9, Trump held a phone call with Putin, after which he said the US and Russia had agreed on supplying millions of tons of Russian diesel to American and world markets.
- Zelensky criticized the diesel deal as US 'weakness' and a 'gift' to Putin, and offered a reciprocal 'energy ceasefire' if Russia stops attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
- Elon Musk commented on Trump's call by writing that Zelensky 'has gone too far.'
- Martial law has been in force in Ukraine since February 24, 2022; elections are prohibited while it remains in effect.
- Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha wrote on X that Zelensky has the support of the Ukrainian people and that the choice of leader is for Ukrainians alone.
Why it matters
By tying any Ukrainian election to a prior 60-day full ceasefire, Zelensky put the next move on Russia while insisting the choice of Ukraine's leader is for Ukrainians alone. The exchange escalated a public clash with Trump, who had openly called for a new Ukrainian president, and followed an announced US-Russia deal on diesel supplies that Zelensky framed as American 'weakness.' A reported US threat to restrict Ukraine's access to intelligence data raised the practical stakes of the dispute.
What happened
In an interview with ABC News, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would hold elections if Russia agreed to a full 60-day ceasefire and asked US President Donald Trump to convey that message to Vladimir Putin. 'Tell Putin to give us two months, 60 days of full ceasefire, and we will organize elections,' Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine would 'be ready for any choice of our people.' The remarks came in direct response to Trump's Saturday call for Ukraine to elect a new leader able to 'make a deal,' with Trump adding that Zelensky 'is not ready to make deals.' On Sunday, Zelensky wrote on X that responsibility for it 'lies solely with Russia,' that 'stopping strikes on energy can happen now, but Putin doesn't want this,' and that 'de-escalation must be mutual and backed by real guarantees.' He also offered a reciprocal 'energy ceasefire' in which Ukraine would stop striking Russian oil refineries if Russia stopped attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Zelensky criticized an announced US-Russia agreement on Russian diesel supplies as 'weakness' of the US and a 'gift' to Putin, and pushed back against Musk's comment that Zelensky 'has gone too far.' Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha wrote on X late Saturday that Zelensky 'has the support of the Ukrainian people' and that 'it is Ukrainians who have the right to decide.'
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All supplied sources are Ukrainian-language media based in Ukraine. They center Zelensky's proposal to condition elections on a full 60-day Russian ceasefire and emphasize his insistence that the choice of Ukraine's leader is a matter for Ukrainians alone. They highlight Sybiha's X post asserting that Zelensky has the support of the Ukrainian people, foreground Trump's call for a new Ukrainian leader and the announced US-Russia diesel deal, and report that the US threatened to restrict Ukraine's access to intelligence data. They also note Zelensky's offer of a reciprocal energy ceasefire and his criticism of the diesel agreement as American 'weakness' and a 'gift' to Putin.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on the framing of the diesel announcement: some present it as a US-Russia 'agreement' on Russian diesel to American and world markets, while Zelensky described it as US 'weakness' and a 'gift' to Putin. They also differ on the sequence with the US: whether Zelensky refused a US demand to unilaterally stop strikes on Russian oil refineries, as AXIOS reported, or whether he in fact offered a reciprocal energy ceasefire if Russia stopped attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, as Zelensky stated on X and in his ABC interview.
Background
Martial law has been in force in Ukraine since February 24, 2022, and elections are prohibited while it remains in effect. In April 2026 it was reported that seven years of Zelensky's presidency had passed against a maximum five-year presidential term. On October 1, speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club, Putin called the idea of mutual cessation of strikes on energy infrastructure 'absurd.' Trump announced the Russian diesel deal on Friday, with Washington seeking to lower fuel prices ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections. A bipartisan bill is being prepared in the US Congress to block purchases of Russian oil.