Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected calls to hold elections during the ongoing war with Russia, saying on Saturday that a vote under current conditions would be too dangerous.
“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,” Zelenskyy said in remarks made public on Sunday.
Ukraine has suspended elections under martial law, a measure that remains widely supported as the country continues to fight against Russia since 2022.
Zelenskyy made the comments during a briefing with journalists on Saturday, his first in several months amid a series of political crises.
Former minister calls for elections
The debate intensified after former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called this week for a way to organise elections, without proposing a specific roadmap.
Fedorov’s call came after Zelenskyy dismissed him, prompting thousands of people to take to the streets and some of the former minister’s supporters to distance themselves from him.
Experts have cited several obstacles to holding elections, including how soldiers, millions of Ukrainian refugees and residents of occupied territories would vote, as well as the risk of Russian disinformation.
Only 15 percent of Ukrainians believe elections should be held before the end of hostilities, according to a poll by the Kiev Institute of Sociology.
Zelenskyy criticised Fedorov during the briefing, saying he believed the former minister was moving towards “wrong things”.
Zelenskyy warns against division
The election debate comes as Ukraine and Russia exchange missile and drone attacks daily.
Zelenskyy said people had the right to protest but warned against what he called “disrespectful” attitudes towards members of the armed forces.
“Since when has marketing started to outweigh the people who are giving their lives?” he said.
He said society and the military must remain united and warned of the risk of “dangerous developments” if divisions deepen.
“We must acknowledge that there is this risk — that there may be movement in that direction, toward dangerous developments,” Zelenskyy said.
