The United States is urging Ukraine to hold elections, possibly by the end of the year, particularly if a truce with Russia is reached in the coming months, according to President Donald Trump's top Ukraine official.
Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, told Reuters that presidential and parliamentary elections, suspended since the all-out war began, "need to be done." He argued that most democratic nations hold elections during wartime and that doing so would strengthen Ukraine’s democracy. "That’s the beauty of a solid democracy, you have more than one person potentially running," Kellogg said.
Trump and Kellogg have indicated they are working on a plan to broker a peace deal within the first months of the new administration, though details remain scarce. While the strategy is still being developed, two sources familiar with White House discussions and a former U.S. official briefed on the matter said Trump officials are considering pushing Ukraine to hold elections as part of an initial ceasefire with Russia.
The administration is also debating whether to secure a temporary ceasefire before negotiating a more permanent resolution, with the election winner potentially overseeing future talks with Moscow.
The response from Kyiv to such a proposal remains uncertain, according to Reuters. President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that elections could take place if fighting ends and security guarantees are in place to prevent renewed Russian aggression.
However, a senior adviser to the Ukrainian government and another official said that the Trump administration has not yet made a formal request for elections by year’s end. Ukrainian law currently prohibits elections under martial law, which has been in effect since February 2022.
Washington previously raised the issue of elections with Ukrainian officials in both 2023 and 2024 during Joe Biden’s presidency, according to two former senior U.S. officials. U.S. diplomats emphasized the importance of elections for democratic legitimacy, but Ukrainian officials resisted, arguing that elections during wartime could create internal divisions and expose Ukraine to Russian disinformation campaigns.
The Kremlin has questioned the absence of elections, with Russian President Vladimir Putin insisting that the Ukrainian leader lacks the legal authority to sign binding agreements. However, Putin has said Zelensky could still take part in negotiations if he first repeals a 2022 decree that bans talks with Russia while Putin remains in power.
The former Western official familiar with the U.S. proposal expressed concerns that lifting martial law for elections could destabilize Ukraine by allowing mobilized soldiers to leave the military, triggering financial instability, and prompting draft-age men to flee the country.
If Trump pressures Ukraine to hold elections, the former Western official warned, the U.S. could be aligning with Russian narratives. "Trump is reacting, in my view, to ... Russian feedback," the official said. Russia wants to see an end to Zelensky." Some former U.S. officials doubt that a peace deal will be reached in the coming months or that elections will take place in 2025, given the lack of consensus on how to start formal negotiations.
Olena Goncharova
(Updated: )
