U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, stated on February 6 that Ukraine will eventually need to hold elections to sustain its democracy.
While acknowledging that elections cannot take place under martial law, he emphasized the need for an organized vote—even during wartime.
"You're gonna reach a point where they're gonna have to have elections, and that's a sign of a healthy democracy," Kellogg said in an interview with Newsmax TV.
However, he clarified that this does not mean President Volodymyr Zelensky must step down.
Ukraine Stands Firm on Post-War Elections
Ukraine’s leadership has consistently maintained that elections will not take place until after Russia’s full-scale war concludes.
Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova reaffirmed this stance on February 4, stating, "We will be very happy if elections are held in Ukraine because it will mean that we have won this war."
Under martial law, Ukraine’s constitution prohibits all elections, including presidential, parliamentary, and local votes. Had it not been for the wartime restrictions, a presidential election would have been scheduled for March 31, 2024, with Zelensky’s term officially ending on May 20, 2024.
But as the war drags on, concerns have grown over how Ukraine will handle its democratic processes.
The Ukrainian Civil Network Opora, an election watchdog, has warned that the country currently lacks the infrastructure necessary to guarantee fair and secure voting. Russia’s ongoing attacks have severely damaged electoral facilities, making any immediate plans for elections logistically challenging.
Kremlin Narrative Attempts to Undermine Zelensky
Russian President Vladimir Putin has seized on Ukraine’s delayed elections to question Zelensky’s legitimacy. This narrative has been echoed by far-right commentators in the U.S., despite the constitutional and wartime constraints preventing an election from taking place.
Zelensky himself addressed the issue on January 2, stating that parliament can set an election date as soon as the "hot stage" of the war ends and martial law is lifted.
Kellogg, a retired general responsible for advancing Trump’s proposed strategy to end the war, is expected to visit Ukraine later this month to discuss these and other political matters with Ukrainian officials.
