US isn’t pressuring Ukraine to hold elections — president’s office

The head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, assured that the United States of America is not pressuring Ukraine to hold elections.

Yermak said this during a conversation with journalists.

He noted that some American congressmen said that it is important for them that elections be held in Ukraine, as they are a symbol of democracy. However, today, there is no pressure on Ukraine to hold elections.

"No one asked us such questions," Yermak said.

He stated if someone had said this, the president would have repeated his rhetoric that he, as a law-abiding person, is ready to hold elections. However, there is the question of how to do this during a full-scale war.

The world should recognize elections during the war as democratic. The soldiers who are at the front should be able to vote, and they should be provided with such an opportunity. People who have left Ukraine temporarily must also vote, but today, no one can answer whether the capacities of embassies and consulates will be able to ensure this.

In addition, the president cannot understand how money can be spent on elections when it is needed to support the economy on the purchase of weapons, Yermak noted.

Why are the elections in Ukraine being discussed?

Parliamentary elections should be held in Ukraine in October 2023, and presidential elections are scheduled for 2024 — the first round should be held on March 31, and the second, in case of appointment, on April 21.

However, in the conditions of martial law, which has been introduced since February 24, 2022, the law prohibits holding elections for the President of Ukraine, elections to the parliament, and local self-government bodies.

In the summer, US Senator Lindsey Graham said at a press conference in Kyiv that elections should be held in Ukraine in 2024, even if the war continues. The Ukrainian authorities explained that elections are possible only after the end of hostilities.

However, President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that holding elections shortly will take the attention of Ukrainians and the world away from the main thing — the process of restoring peace. In addition, it is difficult to organize elections in the conditions of hostilities, and it is also against the law.