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Trump's envoy Witkoff claims Ukraine will hold presidential elections

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Trump's envoy Witkoff claims Ukraine will hold presidential elections
Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, speaks alongside White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to the press outside the White House on March 06, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, told American journalist Tucker Carlson in an interview on March 21 that Ukraine's leadership has agreed to hold a presidential election.

Carlson echoed a Russian narrative saying that Moscow considers President Volodymyr Zelensky "not elected" and, therefore, "can't sign any kind of treaty."

"Do you think there will be elections in Ukraine?" Carlson asked. "Yes. There will be. They've agreed to it. There will be elections in Ukraine," Witkoff responded without providing further details.

The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify these claims.

The Kremlin has long tried to portray Zelensky as illegitimate to undermine Kyiv.

On Feb. 18, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready for talks with Zelensky but insisted that "legal aspects related to his legitimacy" must be considered. Meanwhile, Putin himself has ruled Russia for over 20 years.

Ukraine has not held elections during Russia's full-scale war because they are prohibited under martial law, which was declared on Feb. 24, 2022, just hours after the invasion began. Ukrainian law also requires elections to be safe, equal, and uninterrupted—conditions that are impossible to meet while Russia continues its attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure.

Witkoff also noted that he is completely certain Russia will not attack Europe, dismissing concerns about a potential Russian advance across the continent as unfounded.

Confused about Zelensky’s legitimacy? Here’s what you need to know
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Feb. 19 that President Volodymyr Zelensky was a “modestly successful comedian” turned “dictator” who “refused to have elections.” This was the latest in a series of false accusations Trump has made about Ukraine while his team is engaging in peace negotiations…
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Olena Goncharova

Head of North America desk

Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.

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