Ukrainians reject wartime elections despite US push, poll shows

December 15, 2025 3:31 pm

• 3 min read

Ukrainians reject wartime elections despite US push, poll shows — A man casts his ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary elections in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 21, 2019 (Sergii Kharchenko / NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Less than one-tenth of Ukrainians support holding immediate elections, even in the absence of a ceasefire with Russia, according to a poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) published on Dec. 15.

Some 25% of respondents spoke in favor of holding elections if there is a ceasefire backed by security guarantees, while 57% said holding a vote would be possible only after a final peace agreement.

The news comes as the U.S. once again raised the issue of elections in Ukraine as Washington pushes to broker a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow by the end of the year.

Ukraine has not held presidential and parliamentary elections since 2019, as the Constitution prohibits holding the vote under martial law, which was declared at the outbreak of the full-scale Russian invasion.

The latest poll was conducted between Nov. 23 and Dec. 13 and was based on responses from 547 respondents living in Ukraine-held territories.

The scale of support for holding immediate elections, even without a ceasefire, has been largely consistent throughout the year, changing only slightly from 10% in March and 11% in September to 9% in December.

Compared with the spring, support for holding elections immediately after a ceasefire has grown, while the share of respondents who say a complete end to the war is a prerequisite has declined.

In March, 9% of Ukrainians favored elections following a ceasefire, whereas 78% said a final peace agreement should come first.

Earlier in December, U.S. President Donald Trump mused in a meeting with reporters about "how long is it going to be before they (Ukraine) have an election."

"It's a democracy. It's been a long time," Trump said.

In an expected shift, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine could be ready to hold elections even during the war, provided that the U.S. and European allies ensure security.

The president added that he had discussed the issue with lawmakers and requested that parliament propose measures for holding elections during wartime.