The key facts
- Zelensky allowed for holding the presidential election online, subject to decisions by parliament
- Earlier he tied readiness for elections to a 60-day complete ceasefire
- In October Trump publicly called on Ukraine to hold elections and change its leader
Statement on the possibility of online voting
On November 5, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that holding the presidential election in an online format is possible, but for this parliament will have to find the necessary solutions. 'We can consider the possibility of holding online elections. It is possible, but parliament will have to find solutions,' Life.ru quotes him as saying. The same was reported by Gazeta.Ru, citing the Ukrainian outlet Strana.ua.
What has changed compared to October
The new statement differs from the Ukrainian leader's earlier position. In October, as Gazeta.Ru notes, Zelensky said he was ready to hold elections, but on one condition: a 60-day regime of a complete ceasefire. Now he has for the first time allowed for a specific voting format — via the internet — without mentioning the ceasefire condition in this formulation; the publications do not clarify whether that condition has been dropped. Technically, online elections in Ukraine require decisions by parliament, meaning that so far we are talking about the admissibility of the format, not an adopted decision.
Context: pressure from the United States
The topic of elections in Ukraine is being discussed against the backdrop of public calls from the United States. In October, US President Donald Trump called on the Ukrainian leader to hold presidential elections; Zelensky, according to Life.ru, criticized these public calls and called them a mistake, saying that such statements do not help improve relations between Ukraine and the United States. Gazeta.Ru additionally cites Trump's harsher remarks from October 10: he advised the people of Ukraine to get themselves a new leader, since Zelensky 'doesn't know how to make deals,' and lamented that the Ukrainian president ignores Washington's demands to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries. The outlet also reports that earlier the former head of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry urged Zelensky to consider the US request.
