“No need to wait years” for presidential election — Zelenskyy

The president shared this in a joint interview with First Lady Olena Zelenska.

In response to a question about when elections could take place in Ukraine, Zelenskyy stated that this is only possible after martial law ends.

"According to the Ukrainian Constitution, presidential and parliamentary elections cannot take place during martial law, during the war. During martial law, elections are not allowed. Or we would need to change the legislation regarding both presidential and parliamentary elections," he said.

Zelenskyy emphasized that the president and parliament remain legitimate authorities until new elections for president and parliament are held. He also noted that the cancellation of martial law would only be considered after the hot phase of the war is over, and Ukraine is in a strong position.

"If we can do this, we will have a strong army, a strong weapons package, and security guarantees. After that, we can think about ending martial law in Ukraine. And if martial law ends, the parliament will support any election date. After martial law ends, there's no need to wait years for elections," said the president.

Zelenskyy also shared that he doesn't know yet whether he will run for a second term.

"If I do more than I can, then I will look at it more positively... For me, this is not the focus of today. This is not today's goal," he concluded.

• The head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, stated that Ukraine is ready to hold elections immediately after the war with Russia ends and a just peace is established.