Hours after anonymous Presidential Office sources denied a Financial Times report that he planned to announce elections and a referendum on 24 February, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy weighed in personally—and went further than his aides.
“By the way, they do not link elections with security guarantees.”
In written responses to Ukrainian journalists on 11 February, Zelenskyy denied not only the announcement plan but the FT’s central claim: that Washington threatened to withhold security guarantees unless Ukraine held elections by 15 May.
“No, they do not threaten to withdraw security guarantees. By the way, they do not link elections with security guarantees,” Zelenskyy wrote.
If accurate, this contradicts the core of what the FT’s Ukrainian and European sources told the paper—that the Trump administration “pressured Kyiv to hold both votes by 15 May or risk losing security guarantees.”
Only 10% of Ukrainians believe elections should be held before a ceasefire, according to a January poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS). Another 59% said elections are only possible after the war ends entirely.
“First time I’m hearing about it”
Zelenskyy answered three separate questions from journalists about elections, each time returning to the same formula: security first, politics second.
On the FT report itself: “This is the first time I am hearing about it. I first heard it, probably, from the Financial Times. Now I am hearing it for the second time from you.”
“If the Russians are killing people every day, how can we announce or seriously consider elections in the coming weeks?”
On Ukraine’s position: “We move to elections when all the relevant security guarantees are in place. I have always said that the issue of elections is raised by various partners. Ukraine itself has never raised it. But of course, we are ready for elections. I said it is very simple. Make a ceasefire—there will be elections.”
Earlier on 11 February, the Presidential Office had pushed back through anonymous sources. “If the Russians are killing people every day, how can we announce or seriously consider elections in the coming weeks?” one source told Ukrinform. “When there’s no security, there’s nothing else,” another stated The Kyiv Independent. Zelenskyy went further.
15 May: denied and not denied
As Euromaidan Press reported on 11 February, even if the political will existed, Ukraine’s own Central Election Commission says a vote cannot happen earlier than six months after martial law ends—putting the earliest possible date no sooner than August 2026.
Kyiv signals election readiness—while 59% of Ukrainians say wait until war ends (INFOGRAPHICS)
Asked whether Ukrainian negotiators discussed a specific 15 May deadline with their American counterparts, Zelenskyy did not deny it. Instead, he reframed: “We are ready to work with any schedules our American colleagues propose.”
The caveat followed immediately—a referendum requires a ceasefire “because a referendum is structurally like elections, meaning security is needed.”
It follows the pattern Euromaidan Press identified on 11 February. Say yes to the timeline, attach a condition—ceasefire—that does not currently exist.
“I could never do what you are asking”
When asked whether he would use 24 February—the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion—to announce elections, Zelenskyy was unequivocal.
“This is a very serious date, four years of war.”
“This is a special date—24 February. Even if there were an intention or relevant steps toward bringing certain elections closer, I believe it would be an absolutely foolish idea to use such a date to talk about politics,” he wrote.
“This is a very serious date, four years of war. It is a large number of people who defended our state and gave their lives. And it is since 24 February that, every day, they defend their country. I could never do what you are asking.”
“First—security, then—politics.”
