Zelenskyy says he is ready to leave office when war ends, open to elections during ceasefire
Ukrainian president emphasizes finishing the war as the priority; elections could occur if a ceasefire is in place, he says in Axios interview after UN address
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Axios he would be ready to step down once Russia’s war ends and signaled openness to elections during any ceasefire. He spoke in an Axios Show interview after addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York before returning to Kyiv.
“Yes,” Zelenskyy responded when asked if Ukraine would push forward to elections during a ceasefire. “If we will finish war with Russia? Yes,” he added, clarifying that elections are not his personal goal: “It’s not my goal, elections,” he said. “I want it very much, in a very difficult period of time, to be with my country, help my country. Yes, that is what I wanted. My goal is to finish the war.”
Zelenskyy’s remarks come as Ukraine remains under martial law, in place since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Under martial law, elections cannot be held. He was elected in 2019 in a landslide, and would have seen his five-year term end in May 2024 if the war had not started; he has now served for more than six years. The interview followed his address to the UN General Assembly in New York, in which he reiterated Kyiv’s focus on securing a durable end to the conflict and conditions for peace.
The Ukrainian president stressed that his foremost objective is to finish the war, and that political leadership in peacetime would come only after a peaceful resolution is achieved. He said he views elections as a possible step during a ceasefire, not as a personal political aspiration, underscoring that any decision would hinge on security and the feasibility of holding credible votes under war conditions.
The broader context remains a battlefield and diplomatic landscape shaped by ongoing fighting and international efforts to broker a settlement. Ukraine has faced years of pressure to maintain sovereignty while seeking security guarantees and aid from Western partners. Zelenskyy’s comments align with a long-stated view that the country’s postwar political order should reflect a stable transition, but they stop short of promising a timetable for elections amid the current conflict.
Observers caution that any move toward elections would depend on security conditions, the specifics of any ceasefire, and the ability to conduct free and fair ballots. Still, the president’s acknowledgment that elections could be possible during a ceasefire, coupled with his assertion that his primary goal is to end the war, signals a potential shift in how Ukraine might plan its political horizon once the fighting abates.
As Kyiv continues to navigate military pressures and diplomatic diplomacy, Zelenskyy’s public stance emphasizes pragmatism: governance now, peace later. The world awaits further clarity on whether any ceasefire terms could enable a political transition, including elections, and what that would mean for Ukraine’s postwar trajectory.
Whether such a sequence will unfold remains uncertain, with security concerns and Russia’s demands shaping the negotiation landscape. Zelenskyy’s remarks, delivered as Ukraine continues to contend with a protracted conflict, underscore the delicate balance between pursuing immediate peace and planning for a political future that could include elections, should a ceasefire prove sustainable and credible.
