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‘He needs to be realistic’: Trump's message for Zelensky on Ukraine's expectations from peace plan, calls for elections
On Tuesday, Zelensky said that he was ready to hold new elections in Ukraine if security was provided against Russian drone and missile attacks.
US President Donald Trump said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “has to be realistic” about Kyiv’s position on a peace plan to end the war with Russia, while adding that he and European leaders held discussions to put an end to the conflict. The US president also questioned Ukraine’s election timeline, asking when Kyiv intends to hold the next polls.
As tensions continue to build around the Russia-Ukraine peace deal and Washington’s push for a settlement, leaders from Germany, France and the UK spoke to Trump on a phone call and urged for a meeting this weekend with the US and Ukraine, as per the US president.
“They would like to have a meeting this weekend with both of us, and we'll make a determination depending on what they come back with,” Trump told reporters.
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Trump says Zelensky has to be ‘realistic’
Speaking during a Q&A session with reporters, the US president said that Ukraine needs to reassess its expectations as the war goes on.
“I think he has to be realistic,” Trump said, adding, “you know, how long is it going to be until they have an election?"
Notably, Trump had also called for Ukraine to hold elections during a recent interview with Politico. “They haven’t had an election in a long time. You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore,” he said.
He also said that Russia had the “upper hand” in the conflict with Ukraine during the interview.
When will Ukraine hold elections?
On Tuesday, Zelensky said that he was ready to hold new elections in the country if security was provided against Russian drone and missile attacks, which happen on a regular basis.
It is worth noting that although Zelensky’s five-year term ended in May 2024, Ukraine’s constitution does not allow national elections during martial law, which has remained in effect since Russia began its full scale invasion in 2022.
Speaking to journalists, Zelensky said, “I am ready for the elections.” He added that he has asked lawmakers in the country to prepare “proposals regarding the possibility of amending the legislative foundations and the law on elections during martial law.”
“I am now asking, I declare this openly, for the United States of America to help me, possibly together with European colleagues, to ensure security for holding elections,” he added.
With inputs from agencies
