Zelenskyy Rejects Calls for Wartime Elections in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said holding elections during the war with Russia would “destroy the country,” in comments released Aug. 23 to reporters.

“I believe that in a war like this, elections as such are a huge risk. Elections right now are a tsunami for the country that will split Ukraine,” the president said in comments released to a group of reporters. “If we want to destroy the country, then we can move in the direction of elections during these times of war.”

Zelenskyy was responding to comments his former defense minister made last week.

Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for elections in a video he posted Aug. 18 on YouTube.

“We are fighting precisely because we want to remain a free European state,” Fedorov said in the video. “Therefore, we must find a legal, safe, and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to restore a full democratic process even amidst a prolonged war.”

“This is complex,” Fedorov said. “We need to guarantee the voting rights of our military, of millions of Ukrainians abroad, of people in the frontline regions. We need to ensure the security of the electoral process, the independence of the institutions and trust in the outcome. … Democracy is not a peacetime luxury.”

Zelenskyy’s decision to replace Fedorov sparked rare protests in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in July. More than 1,000 people gathered outside Zelenskyy’s office on July 16 demanding Fedorov’s reinstatement.

Fedorov, who was credited with expanding Ukraine’s use of drones and technology in its war against Russia, criticized military commander Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi after his dismissal, accusing him of blocking proposed initiatives.

Zelenskyy appointed Yevhenii Khmara, acting head of Ukraine’s Security Service, as acting defense minister and said he would seek parliamentary support to make the appointment permanent.

Ukraine has not held a presidential election since 2019, when Zelenskyy won 73 percent of the vote in a runoff against incumbent President Petro Poroshenko. Zelenskyy’s five-year term was scheduled to end in May 2024, but elections have been suspended under martial law, which was declared after Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. Ukrainian law currently prohibits elections while martial law is in effect.

President Donald Trump criticized the lack of elections in December 2025, saying, “They’re using war not to hold an election,” and adding that Ukrainians “should have that choice.” Trump said Ukraine had gone so long without an election that “it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”

Zelenskyy responded that he was prepared to hold an election within 60 to 90 days if the United States and European allies helped ensure that voting could be conducted securely.

Reuters contributed to this report.