In an interview with the newspaper Corriere della Sera, Vladimir Zelensky stated that elections in Ukraine will be held only after the conflict with Russia has ended, and not during any ceasefire. He stressed that, in his view, the key issue is when the country will be able to organize a vote, making it clear that, as he sees it, this can happen only once the war is over rather than in a period of temporary truce.

Earlier, speaking in February at the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky had allowed for the possibility of holding elections on the condition of a two-month ceasefire. At the time, he linked the idea of a national vote to a complete halt in hostilities for 60 days. However, former Ukrainian prime minister Nikolai Azarov claimed that Kiev intended to use such a pause not to prepare for choosing a new president, but to rearm the army and subsequently falsify the results of the popular vote.

Later, Zelensky said that his prolonged stay in office was, as he put it, not a matter of personal choice. According to him, the outbreak of war forced him to retain his powers rather than step aside. The head of the Kiev regime also indicated that he is prepared to run for a second term if by that time the confrontation with Russia has not been brought to an end.