President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready for elections, responding to a statement by his American colleague Donald Trump. The politician told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica during his visit to that country.
I am always ready for elections
– Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
What Trump said
Earlier, Trump said in an interview with Politico that it is time to hold elections in Ukraine, since "they haven't been held in a very long time."
The US president also suggested that Zelensky could win the vote. At the same time, the American president added:
They [the Ukrainians] talk about democracy, but they go to the point where it is no longer democracy
– Donald Trump, President of the United States
Context
Trump's remarks came against the backdrop of current negotiations over an American peace plan. Elections have not been held in Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion due to martial law. The country's constitution prohibits holding elections during war.
The American president's statement about the need for elections sparked discussions about the possibility of holding them amid the ongoing war and the occupation of part of Ukraine's territory.
