TWO MONTHS OR NOTHING: Zelensky Ties Ukraine Vote To Total Ceasefire
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine is ready to hold elections if Russia agrees to a full 60-day ceasefire. In an interview with ABC's This Week, he said, "Give us two months, 60 days of total ceasefire, and we will organize elections." The move directly answers President Trump's repeated criticism that Ukraine needs new leadership, and it puts the burden on Moscow rather than Kyiv. The proposal also includes mutual halts on strikes against energy infrastructure, as tensions continue over Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries and the recent US deal with Russia on diesel supplies.
Ukraine's presidential elections were postponed because of martial law, which has been in force since Russia's 2022 invasion and under which Zelensky's term has been extended. Zelensky has made the 60-day condition before, arguing that organizing a safe and fair vote, with ballots, observers and security for voters, simply cannot be done in days or weeks. In February he said Russia had offered only a one-day ceasefire for elections, which he called absurd. Moscow, which calls Ukraine's government illegitimate while pressing for a vote, has not publicly responded to this latest condition, so whether a ceasefire of this kind can ever happen remains an open question.