US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has stated that Ukraine will hold presidential elections this year.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s five-year presidential term expired in May 2025, after which he refused to call new elections, citing martial law.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he no longer considers Zelensky a legitimate representative and argued that his current status could be an obstacle to achieving a definitive peace.
Earlier in February, Trump described Zelensky as “a dictator without elections” and claimed that he was no longer popular and lacked support at home.
In an interview broadcast on Friday evening, Witkoff, one of Trump’s main mediators between Kyiv and Moscow, was asked if he believed Ukraine would hold elections.
“Yes. They’ve agreed to it. There will be elections in Ukraine,” the envoy replied. He argued that Zelensky was “in a very difficult position,” given that Russia has a much larger population and nuclear weapons.
“He's got to know that he’s going to get ground down. Now is the best time for him to secure a deal. President Trump can deliver him the best possible agreement,” Witkoff said.
He emphasised that continued aid would become “unsustainable” without a clear plan to resolve the conflict. “We just can’t keep giving money indefinitely,” he added.
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