Ukraine won't hold elections until Russia's war is over, Ukraine's envoy to US says

Ukraine won't hold elections until Russia's war is over, Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova told Suspilne in an interview published on Feb. 4.

Markarova's statement comes after Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, called for parliamentary and presidential elections in Ukraine by the end of the year, especially if Kyiv reaches a ceasefire deal with Moscow.

Elections are banned from being held in Ukraine during martial law, which has been in effect since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

The U.S. hasn't yet discussed with Ukraine the necessity of holding elections by the end of 2025, according to Markarova.

"Ukraine and America are free countries. Everyone can speak their mind. If this issue is addressed, we are certainly ready for this discussion, as we have done before. We will be very happy if elections are held in Ukraine because it will mean that we have won this war," Markarova said.

Kellogg previously argued that most democratic nations hold elections during wartime and that doing so would strengthen Ukraine's democracy.

Under martial law, presidential, parliamentary, and local elections are banned in Ukraine.

If martial law had not been imposed, a presidential election would have been held on March 31, 2024, and President Volodymyr Zelensky's term would have ended on May 20, 2024.

To be able to hold elections during martial law, Ukraine would need to make changes to the legislature, as well as set up infrastructure for Ukrainian refugees abroad, military personnel on duty, and Ukrainians living in areas close to the war zone to be able to vote.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russian attacks have destroyed some of Ukraine's electoral infrastructure.

Ukraine does not currently have the appropriate infrastructure or mechanism to organize elections that guarantee all citizens' electoral and political rights, according to Ukrainian Civili Network Opora.

Earlier on Jan. 2, Zelensky suggested that if the "hot phase of the war is over," the parliament could lift martial law and set a date for elections.

Trump seeks Ukrainian rare earths in exchange for aid, Kyiv keen to agree, source says

U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to have Ukraine supply the U.S. with rare earths as a condition for aid for the war-torn country. “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine, where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earths and other things,

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova