Elections in Ukraine only with a ceasefire and security guarantees, says Zelensky: “They are very simple to do”

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that Ukraine will hold elections only after a ceasefire in the war with Russia and after his country receives security guarantees, rejecting suggestions that he plans to hold a vote under pressure from the United States, AFP wrote.

In Ukraine, the organization of elections was suspended due to martial law, introduced by the authorities as a result of the Russian invasion.

“We will move to elections when all necessary security guarantees are in place,” Zelenskiy told reporters in a voice message.

“I said they are very simple to do: establish a ceasefire and there will be elections,” the Ukrainian leader added.

If Russia also agrees, hostilities could be ended “by the summer”, he also declared.

Diplomatic sources told the Financial Times that Zelenskiy is to announce on February 24, four years since the outbreak of war, a plan to hold presidential elections and a national referendum in Ukraine.

The publication wrote that the decision to present this plan comes amid intense diplomatic pressure and negotiations with the administration in Washington.

Zelenskiy's term was set to expire in 2024

Volodymyr Zelensky, a former comedian who played a role as president in a soap opera before running for office in real life, was elected head of state in 2019 for a five-year term that would normally have ended in 2024. Russia has repeatedly tried to question his legitimacy.

AFP notes a number of practical obstacles to holding an election, such as the security conditions during the campaign and the vote, as well as the situation of the millions of Ukrainian refugees who are outside the country.

Millions of people have been displaced nationally, and hundreds of thousands are living under Russian occupation or fighting at the front.