Ukraine denies it is preparing for spring elections in the country

BarcelonaVolodymyr Zelensky denied on Wednesday that he plans to call presidential elections this spring, as reported earlier in the day by [the newspaper/newspaper/etc.]. Financial Times Citing Ukrainian and Western sources, the British newspaper reported that Zelensky was expected to announce elections on February 24, coinciding with the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion. However, the Ukrainian president has stated that elections could only be held in the event of a ceasefire and has urged Europe and the US to work on a joint negotiation process with Moscow. "He is not planning to do so," a source from the Ukrainian presidential office told the newspaper. Kyiv Independent"When there is no security, there is nothing else," he added. In this regard, Zelensky's team points out that what will determine a possible election call will be security guarantees, not its coinciding with a sensible date such as the fourth anniversary of the Russian attack. A source quoted by Reuters, familiar with the matter, also points out that the date cited by the Financial Times That would be unrealistic.

In recent months, the Donald Trump administration has pressured for elections to be held in Ukraine before May 15, under the threat of withdrawing if Kyiv does not accept, security guarantees offered by the United States as part of the agreement being negotiated with Vladimir Putin.

Zelensky's administration is not initially opposed to the elections. In statements to Kyiv IndependentSources within the presidential office assert that "no one is against" the elections, but insist on the issue of security as a prerequisite for holding them. "If the Russians are killing people every day, how can we announce or seriously consider an election in the coming weeks?" the source quoted by the Ukrainian media outlet points out.

Elections to appease Trump?

The information published by the Financial Times It detailed that the Ukrainian government favored holding elections to satisfy Trump's demands and "close" the matter with Zelensky's reelection, even though polls show a decline in his support. Ukraine was supposed to hold elections in 2024, but they were postponed. sine die due to the martial law imposed following the invasion. This law also prohibits holding a referendum on the peace agreement, a proposal to which the Financial Times It was also claimed that Zelensky would set a date of February 24th.

For now, according to Kyiv IndependentThe Ukrainian president has indeed tasked legal experts with preparing a proposal for possible legal reforms that would allow for a referendum or even elections to be held while martial law is in effect, or a few weeks after the end of this special legislation. Currently, Ukrainian law stipulates that six months must pass between the end of martial law and the start of an election campaign.

Zelensky has repeatedly stated over the past few years that it is impossible to hold elections in the midst of a war, with 20% of the territory under Russian occupation, millions of refugees and internally displaced persons, and hundreds of thousands of men and women mobilized in the military, all of whom have the theoretical right to be candidates. Moreover, holding elections would have no practical effect other than to reaffirm Zelensky's position, because, although his popularity has been affected by the numerous corruption scandals involving his inner circle, he currently has no political rivals.

The referendum on the peace agreement –to which Zelensky had already committedThis would serve to legitimize the concessions Kyiv must make after more than four years of armed resistance, with tens of thousands dead and hundreds of thousands wounded. What remains unclear, however, is whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will agree to any deal, especially regarding the guarantees Ukraine is demanding to protect itself from a potential new attack. What is stalling the agreement now is not so much the territorial concessions as the fear among Ukrainians that, after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of 2022, the Kremlin will not be satisfied with the territories in the east of the country that it has conquered. manu militariUltimately, the underlying motive for this war is not to occupy territory, but to short-circuit the process of self-determination that Ukraine began twelve years ago.