Zelenskyy Responds to Trump’s Call for Ukraine to Elect a New President

Reform.news Editorial Team · 11 October 2026, 17:47

https://reform.news/en/zelenskyy-responds-to-trump-s-call-for-ukraine-to-elect-a-new-president/

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed securing a full 60-day ceasefire from Russia to allow Ukraine to hold elections. He made the remarks in an interview with ABC News, commenting on US President Donald Trump’s statement that Ukraine should elect a new leader.

He stressed that Ukrainians themselves must decide when to hold the vote and whom to elect as the country’s leader.

“So please tell Putin, give us two months, 60 days off. Total ceasefire, 60 days, and we will organize elections. Of course, we will be ready for any choice of our people, exactly Ukrainian people,” Zelenskyy said.

He noted that holding elections during wartime presents challenges, including security concerns and the need to comply with Ukrainian law and the Constitution.

“So, first of all, with all respect to President Trump, it’s up to our society, up to our people to choose one or another leader. Yes, we are in war and how to do elections is really difficult. Not only that it goes absolutely not secured and it goes out of our law, out of our constitution, but the main thing is to have security infrastructure for this, to give possibility people to vote,” the Ukrainian leader said.

According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine is ready for a ceasefire and de-escalation.

“About energy, I said it to President Trump, to president’s teams, to his team and to his people several times, so we want peace. We are ready for ceasefire. We are ready to begin from any kind of steps of de-escalation. We are ready for energy ceasefire, not to attack energy both sides.

“And if the Russians want us not attack their diesel, their refineries and et cetera, we are asking President Trump, give them signal, not attack energy infrastructure of Ukraine. It’s fair deal. It’s not the best deal. The best deal not — not to have a war, to stop Putin. But the first step is ceasefire, energy ceasefire.

“OK, if they want energy ceasefire, we are open for this. Don’t attack us. Don’t kill our children. We will stop attack your diesel. And I think it’s fair, fair deal,” he said.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine would continue to defend itself because its independence, freedom and citizens’ security were at stake. He also said Ukraine was counting on support from the United States and its European partners, stressing the importance of maintaining unity between them.

“We count on president, his team involving to stop Putin, but to stop Putin. And I think this is the main goal to stop him. This is the main deal to stop this war.

“And we count on American support. Then, and of course, we count on our European partners. And I hope that we will save this unity, Europe and the United States. It’s not simple, by the way, really not simple. We work hardly each day to save this.

“But in any way, we will defend ourselves because otherwise, we will lose our life and homes, our freedom, independence, Ukraine. Yeah, we can’t lose it. And the truth is on our side,” he said.

Earlier, Donald Trump said that Volodymyr Zelenskyy could have ended the war on several occasions but had failed to do so. He also expressed the view that it was time for Ukraine to elect a new president.