KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials are expected to hand over their latest peace proposals to U.S. negotiators on Wednesday, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who also said Ukraine would be ready for elections within three months if partners can guarantee secure wartime voting and if its election law can be changed.
Zelensky responded to comments by US President Donald Trump in which he questioned democracy in Ukraine and suggested that the Ukrainian leader was using the war as an excuse not to hold elections.
Zelensky told reporters late Tuesday that he was “ready” for the election but would need help from the United States and possibly Europe to ensure the security of the vote. He suggested that Ukraine could be ready to hold a vote in 60-90 days if this condition is met.
“To hold elections, it is necessary to resolve two issues: first of all, security – how to conduct them, how to do this in conditions of strikes, in conditions of rocket attacks; and the question regarding our military – how they will vote,” Zelensky said.
“And the second issue is the legislative framework necessary to ensure the legitimacy of the elections,” he said.
Zelensky previously noted that the vote could not legally take place while martial law, imposed due to the Russian invasion almost four years ago, was in effect. He also questioned how the vote could take place when civilian areas of Ukraine are being bombed by Russia and nearly 20% of the country is under Russian occupation.
Zelensky said he had asked his party's lawmakers in parliament to prepare legislative proposals that would allow elections to be held while Ukraine is under martial law.
Ukrainians generally supported Zelensky's arguments, and there were no demands for elections in Ukraine. According to current Ukrainian legislation, Zelensky’s rule is legitimate.
But as Trump insists on an agreement between Kiev and Moscow, Zelensky is balancing between protecting Ukrainian interests and showing the American president that he is willing to make some compromises.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly complained that Zelensky cannot legally negotiate a peace settlement because his five-year term in office, which began in 2019, has expired.
“I think this is an important time to have an election. They are using war, not to have an election,” Trump said in an interview with Politico, echoing Moscow's position.
The new US national security strategy, released last Friday, made clear that Trump wants to improve America's relations with Moscow and “restore strategic stability with Russia.”
The document also portrays European allies as weak.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday praised Trump's role in peace efforts in Ukraine, saying in a speech to the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, that Moscow values his “commitment to dialogue.” Trump, according to Lavrov, is “the only Western leader” who demonstrates “an understanding of the reasons that made the war in Ukraine inevitable.”
While Trump's decisions are likely to be decisive for Ukraine, Washington's peace efforts have faced sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv.
Trump's initial peace proposal was heavily focused on Russian demands. To counter this, Zelensky turned to his European supporters.
In recent days, Zelensky met with the leaders of Britain, Germany and France in London, as well as the heads of NATO and the European Union in Brussels, before traveling to Rome for talks with the Italian prime minister and Pope Leo XIV.
Zelensky said that three documents are being discussed with American and European partners – a framework document of 20 points, which is constantly changing, a document on security guarantees and a document on the restoration of Ukraine.
But European support has been uneven, meaning military aid has been cut since the Trump administration this year cut off supplies to Kyiv unless other NATO countries paid for them.
Foreign military aid to Ukraine fell sharply over the summer, a trend that continued into September and October, a German organization that tracks international aid to Ukraine said Wednesday.
Average annual aid, mostly provided by the US and Europe, was about 41.6 billion euros ($48.4 billion) between 2022 and 2024. However, this year Ukraine received only 32.5 billion euros ($37.8 billion), the Kiel Institute said.
“If this slower pace continues in the remaining months (years), 2025 will be the year with the lowest level of new aid disbursement” since the start of the war, it said.
Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have substantially increased their aid to Ukraine this year, while Germany has nearly tripled its average monthly allocation and France and Britain have more than doubled their contributions, according to the Kiel Institute.
On the other hand, the report said, Spain recorded no new military aid to Kyiv in 2025, and Italy reduced its low contributions by 15% compared to 2022-2024.
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