Zelensky says elections could be held tomorrow but war makes it impossible

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be prepared to hold national elections tomorrow, but the continuation of hostilities makes it unfeasible under both the Constitution and election law. He pointed to security concerns, the inability of children to attend school, and the fact that roughly nine million Ukrainians are abroad, with only about half a million typically voting from overseas. Zelensky also questioned how voting could be organized in temporarily occupied territories where Russian soldiers are present.

He warned that prioritising elections now would jeopardise the country's stability, emphasizing that peace and survival are far more urgent than political contests. Those urging an early vote, he said, misunderstand the wartime reality.