It's Been a Very Long Time

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced he is against holding elections while the war with Russia continues, a reversal from his earlier stance. Zelensky had previously responded to U.S. President Donald Trump, who raised the issue of elections that could not be held due to the war, by saying, "I am always ready for elections. In December 2025, the 79-year-old Trump told Politico, "Yes, I think the time has come.

It's been a very long time. Things are not going well. I think the time has come.

I think it's an important moment to hold elections. They are using the war to avoid holding elections, but I think the Ukrainian people should have that option. They talk about democracy, but they are reaching a point where there is no longer democracy.

However, according to DW, the Ukrainian leader appears to have changed his mind. I believe that in such a war, elections are a great risk, Zelensky said, claiming that going to the polls would 'destroy the country. Zelensky won the presidential election in 2019, securing 73.22 percent of the vote in a runoff held on April 21, after the first round on March 31 of that year. Elections have not been held since the war began.