LIVE | Ukrainian President Zelensky says he is ‘ready’ for elections after Trump’s lashing out

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is ready to organize elections “within three months” if the Ukrainian parliament and foreign allies allow it. The ruling comes after US President Donald Trump accused Zelensky of wanting to stay in power. Donald Trump Jr. had also previously It has already been said that Zelensky extended the war because he was “afraid that he would otherwise lose power”. Zelensky, clearly irritated by those comments, said on Tuesday: “This is a question for the people of Ukraine, not for people from other countries, with all due respect to our partners.”

Zelensky promised to explore options to hold elections in the coming months. “Since this question is asked today by the President of the United States of America, I will answer very briefly: Look, I am ready for elections,” Zelensky said. “In addition, I ask the United States to help me, possibly together with European colleagues, to ensure the security of the elections, and then in the next 60 to 90 days Ukraine will be ready to hold the elections. I personally have the will and willingness to do this.”

Trump made the statements in a confusing interview with Politicowhich was published earlier on Tuesday. “They haven’t had an election for a long time,” the US president said. “You know, they talk about democracy, but they’re getting to a point where Ukraine is no longer a democracy.”

Zelensky’s five-year term ended in May last year, but Ukraine’s constitution bans wartime elections, and even his political opponents have repeatedly said security and political considerations do not allow wartime elections. “That would only cause damage,” said Serhiy Rakhmanin, an MP from the opposition Holos party. “He’s the commander in chief, and the country is in a position where we don’t have that luxury, whatever problems we might have with him. It would only help the enemy.”

Zelensky pointed to two problems: the logistical question of how soldiers, millions of displaced people and Ukrainians under Russian occupation could vote, and how elections could be legally held with martial law in effect.