Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says he’s ready for elections after Trump said it was time for a vote

The comments came after Trump told Politico he believed it was time for Ukraine to hold elections.

“They haven’t had an election in a long time,” Trump said. “You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”

Ukrainians elected Zelenskyy, a former actor and comedian, after a two-round ballot held in March and April 2019. He did not win an absolute majority in the first round but garnered 73% of the vote in the second.

Trump also said that he was not ready to walk away from the peace process but that the parties involved have to “play ball.”

Trump and others in the administration have at times echoed Kremlin talking points about Ukraine, including that Ukraine is not a genuine democracy. While Trump has long maintained a cordial relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin despite their differences, ties with Zelenskyy have been notably rocky.

During a disastrous visit to the White House in February, Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly chastised Zelenskyy and told him he wasn’t grateful enough to the U.S.

Putin, who has crushed dissent and independent media in Russia, launched a large-scale invasion of its much smaller neighbor in February 2022.

Zelenskyy has recently been on a no-holds-barred campaign to shore up support amid U.S.-supported talks aimed at ending the war. Earlier, he was in the Vatican meeting with Pope Leo XIV.

On Monday, he met with the leaders of Germany, France and the U.K., who are themselves struggling to find a place at the table in talks with Russia.

He also said Monday that Ukraine would not cede any land to Russia. “We have no legal right — under Ukrainian law, under our constitution, under international law — and honestly, we have no moral right, either,” Zelenskyy said.

Trump originally approved a 28-point peace plan to end the war that included Ukraine ceding its territory, among other demands seen as favoring Russia. Zelenskyy said Monday that negotiations led by the U.S. had whittled the original 28 points to 20, and while he believed in Trump’s commitment to ending the war, he did not trust Russia.