Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced his readiness to leave office once the war concludes, according to an interview with Axios.

“If we finish the war with the Russians, yes, I am ready not to run [in the elections]. That was not my aim. I very much wanted, in this difficult period, to be with my country, to help my country. Yes — that is what I have always wanted. My goal is to end the war,” Zelenskyy said in the interview.

Ukraine’s presidential elections were originally scheduled for March or April 2024 but were postponed due to martial law and ongoing war conditions. The earliest possible new date under current legal and security constraints is likely in mid to late 2025.

The president clarified that he is prepared not to seek re-election after the war ends, emphasizing that elections are not his objective. Zelenskyy acknowledged that security issues will complicate organizing elections but believes conducting them will be possible. According to his statements, voting could also take place during a ceasefire.

Previously, Zelenskyy had declared that elections in Ukraine could only occur after achieving a ceasefire regime and under security guarantees.

Presidential elections during wartime

Zelenskyy has consistently explained his openness to elections while maintaining their impossibility during active war. At the Munich Security Conference, he emphasized that elections during war would lead to the country’s occupation.

Most Ukrainians and political leaders supported postponing elections until the war ends and martial law is lifted

The United States has repeatedly called for Ukraine to conduct elections. Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said that the US wants Ukraine to hold elections once a truce in the war with Russia is achieved.