US wants Ukraine to hold elections after potential ceasefire with Russia, Trump envoy says
by Josef Al Shemary · LBCBy Josef Al Shemary
The US wants to see elections held in Ukraine once a potential ceasefire agreement with Russia is reached, Donald Trump’s envoy to the countries said.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, said elections could be held by the end of the year, and that they ‘need to be done’.
The US wants Ukraine to hold presidential and parliamentary elections, signalling disapproval of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Kellogg said the votes ‘need to be done’, especially if a truce is agreed with Russia.
"Most democratic nations have elections in their time of war. I think it is important they do so," Kellogg told the Reuters news agency.
He added: "I think it is good for democracy. That's the beauty of a solid democracy, you have more than one person potentially running."
Trump has not yet spoken to Putin since his inauguration, but the US president is widely expected to be able to negotiate an end to the war which is nearly three years old.
He has previously urged Putin to end the war, writing “Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness” on social media.
Zelenskyy has warned that excluding his country from UK-Russia talks could be ‘very dangerous’.
"They [Russia and US] may have their own relations, but talking about Ukraine without us - it is dangerous for everyone," Zelenskyy said.
Before he was elected as president, Trump said he could end the war in just one day. He has pushed for an immediate ceasefire since.
Both Trump and Kellogg said they are working on a plan to negotiate a ceasefire agreement to stop the fighting.
They have not specified how this would look, or when it would be taking effect.
Kellogg and other White House officials have reportedly also discussed urging Ukraine to accept elections as part of an initial truce with Russia, according to people close to the talks.
Zelenskyy’s five-year term was supposed to come to an end in 2024, but elections cannot currently be held since Ukraine imposed martial law in 2022.
It comes amid reports of European leaders disagreeing over sending a large-sca;e peacekeeping force to the country.
The UK, France and several Nordic nations support sending thousands of troops to Ukraine following a possible ceasefire deal - while Germany is opposed to the plan.
Poland and the Baltic states meanwhile, believe the move could divert vital resources away from nations that border Russia, sources have told The Times.
There is a growing belief among officials that any deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine would require the approval of US President Donald Trump.
Sending a peace-keeping force to Ukraine would also require the approval of Russia, which, at this stage, is unlikely.
Britain itself could theoretically send around 10,000 troops but it remains to be seen whether Europe could generate the force required without US assistance.
President Zelenskyy himself has said US troops would be required in any peacekeeping force - whether Trump agrees remains to be seen.