EU spokesperson: Ukraine’s presidential elections must wait for safe conditions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains a democratically elected leader, and the next presidential elections should be held when circumstances allow, European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper stated, according to the European Pravda correspondent in Brussels.

"The EU recognises Zelenskyy as the legitimate president and stresses that any presidential elections in Ukraine must take place only when conditions permit," she noted

“We have already addressed this issue because these are exceptional times… In my view, President Zelenskyy is a democratically elected leader, and any elections should take place when conditions allow it,” Hipper said, responding to a question regarding the EU’s stance on US President Donald Trump’s comments calling for Ukrainian presidential elections.

Hipper also reminded that Russia continues to wage an aggressive war against Ukraine.

In an interview with POLITICO on December 8, US President Donald Trump said it is “time” for Ukraine to hold presidential elections. Earlier in February, Trump told journalists at Mar-a-Lago that he supports Russia’s demands for holding such elections. He also remarked, “I hate to say it, but the approval rating of the Ukrainian leader has dropped to 4%.”

Ukraine’s presidential election was originally scheduled for late March or April 2024, following Zelenskyy’s decisive 2019 victory, in which he secured 73% of the vote. However, Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, prompted the imposition of martial law, which has been extended 17 times, most recently until February 2, 2026.

Under Article 19 of Ukraine’s 2015 law On the Legal Regime of Martial Law, presidential, parliamentary, and local elections are explicitly prohibited while martial law is in effect. Article 10 ensures the continuity of executive, legislative, and cabinet powers throughout this period.

By Tamilla Hasanova