President Donald Trump has once again turned his frustration on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, declaring in a newly surfaced video clip that Zelensky should hold an election and insisting he had chances to end the war with Russia and simply did not take them. He could've solved this war and he could've made a deal many times, Trump said, repeating a line of criticism he has leveled at the Ukrainian leader for months. The comment lands as Washington continues pushing for a negotiated end to the conflict, with Trump positioning Zelensky's refusal to call elections as part of the holdup. It is not the first time Trump has raised the election issue publicly, and each repetition sharpens the political pressure on Kyiv.

Zelensky's presidential term technically expired in 2024, but elections have not been held because Ukraine remains under martial law following Russia's 2022 invasion, a legal and practical barrier Kyiv says makes a wartime vote unsafe and unworkable. Trump's renewed call nonetheless keeps the question of Zelensky's legitimacy in the spotlight, a talking point that has also been pushed by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a condition tied to any peace agreement. Ukrainian officials have signaled openness to elections eventually but only alongside firm security guarantees from the US and European allies, fearing a wartime vote could be exploited or destabilized. As ceasefire talks continue to stall, the election question remains one of the most contentious fault lines between Washington and Kyiv.