Zelenskyy's legitimacy questioned as Trump demands Ukraine vote
Donald Trump insists that presidential elections must be held in Ukraine to confirm the country’s democratic path. The statement came during an interview with Politico.
The U.S. President argued that Ukrainian authorities are using the war as a pretext to postpone the vote, claiming the people deserve a choice.
"I'm talking about democracy, but at some point, what they are doing can no longer be called democracy," Trump stated.
His demand for Ukraine elections was made amid a domestic corruption scandal that has reportedly affected President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's political standing.
Trump has a history of calling for the vote. In a previous incident in February, following a dispute with Zelenskyy at the White House, Trump had publicly claimed the Ukrainian leader was “a dictator without elections,” though he later retracted the statement.
In a past meeting with Trump at the White House, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he is open to organizing the elections, but specified that a real armistice must be achieved first.
"We need a ceasefire everywhere – on the battlefield, in the air, and at sea – so that people can hold democratic, open, and legal elections," the Kyiv leader underlined.
Organizing the elections will also require action from the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's Parliament). Meanwhile, Trump joked about Zelenskyy's ability to postpone the vote even during the war, according to The Moscow Times.
This discussion is framed by the Kremlin legitimacy challenge. Moscow has repeatedly asserted that Zelenskyy is not a legitimate president of Ukraine, recognizing him only as the "de facto head of the regime" and claiming he lacks the right to sign a possible peace agreement.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
