Ukraine’s parliament has voted to affirm Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidency, rejecting President Trump’s push for elections, according to a Telegram post by Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
On February 25, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada passed a resolution titled “Statement of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Support for Democracy in Ukraine in Conditions of Russian Aggression.” The measure affirms Zelensky’s legitimacy and mandates that elections cannot be held while martial law is in effect.
The resolution stated that Kyiv would organize elections only “after comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace is ensured on its territory.” It placed the blame for the current electoral restrictions on Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating, “It is Vladimir Putin who is responsible for the fact that it is currently impossible to organize free, transparent, and democratic elections in Ukraine.”
The Rada also pushed back against recent comments from Trump and Putin questioning Zelensky’s legitimacy, asserting that he was “elected in free, transparent, democratic elections” and that “his mandate is not questioned by the Ukrainian people and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.”
Initially, the resolution failed to secure enough votes, but on a second reading, it passed with 268 votes in favor, 12 abstentions, and none opposed, according to the Kyiv Independent.
The vote follows Trump’s call for Ukraine to hold elections as part of a proposed three-stage peace process, reportedly discussed by Russian and U.S. officials during talks in Saudi Arabia last week. In response, Zelensky argued that elections are impossible under martial law, accusing Trump of living in a “disinformation space.” Trump fired back, calling Zelensky a “dictator without elections.”
Putin echoed Trump’s stance, stating that Ukraine should hold elections and claiming that Zelensky has “no chance” of being reelected.
