In an interview with ABC News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made clear that Ukraine is prepared to hold elections, but only under one specific condition: Russian dictator Vladimir Putin must agree to a ceasefire of at least 60 days. He framed the request as a direct appeal to the United States, asking President Donald Trump to convey to Putin that two months of a complete cessation of hostilities would allow Ukraine to organize the election process.
Zelensky repeated the demand, saying, "Please, tell Putin, give us two months, 60 days of a complete cessation of hostilities, 60 days, and we will organize elections." He stressed that the 60‑day ceasefire is the duration he indicated as necessary to create the security and logistical space needed for a vote.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump had suggested that it was time for Ukraine to elect a new leader. Zelensky countered that the choice of Ukraine’s president belongs to Ukrainian society and people alone, not to foreign observers. He emphasized that the decision rests with Ukrainians, while noting that holding elections under the current circumstances would be problematic.
The Ukrainian president argued that holding elections at this stage would advantage only one actor: Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky warned that conducting elections while martial law remains in effect contradicts the Ukrainian Constitution. He also pointed out that the country lacks the necessary security infrastructure to guarantee a safe vote. In his own words, "In addition to the fact that it is absolutely not protected and goes beyond the framework of our law, our constitution, but the main thing — have the security infrastructure to give people the opportunity to vote." These two points—constitutional incompatibility and insufficient security—were presented as the primary reasons why a vote cannot be held now.
The Ukrainian president argued that holding elections at this stage would advantage only one actor: Vladimir Putin. Zelensky asserted that he is convinced it is precisely Putin who benefits from elections in Ukraine, suggesting that Moscow seeks to influence or change the Ukrainian leadership through a vote held amid war.
Just two days before the ABC interview, Ukraine and the United States had scheduled consultations in Miami for 9‑10 October. According to the report, those talks ended earlier than expected, with the first day of consultations not going according to plan. The discussions concluded before the intended schedule, though it does not specify what caused the curtailment.
The timeline shows that the Ukraine‑US talks in Miami wrapped up on 2026‑10‑09, ending sooner than planned. Two days later, on 2026‑10‑11, Zelensky appeared on ABC News to lay out his election conditions. As of now, the situation remains that Ukraine insists on a 60‑day ceasefire as a precondition for any electoral process, while the constitutional and security obstacles continue to be cited as reasons why a vote cannot proceed under martial law.