Amid pressure from U.S., Zelenskyy says he's open to an election that might be impossible

When Volodymyr Zelenskyy last asked Ukrainians to vote for him, he was a political newbie, a former comedian eager to change his country and talk with Russia to end a protracted conflict

When Volodymyr Zelenskyy last asked Ukrainians to vote for him, he was a political newbie, a former comedian eager to change his country and talk with Russia to end a protracted conflict.

Six years later, Zelenskyy — transformed by the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion — is facing sudden pressure from the United States to hold a new election, even as he navigates Washington’s push for a peace deal that could threaten Ukraine’s future.

President Donald Trump, frustrated by a lack of progress in peace talks, criticized Zelenskyy this week for “using war not to hold an election.” It’s a narrative that Moscow has exploited to label Zelenskyy’s government “illegitimate” and thus impossible to negotiate with.

Yet an election would currently be illegal, since Ukrainian law prohibits holding elections while martial law is in effect.

Nonetheless, Zelenskyy now appears to be playing ball. But huge questions hang over the idea, from security to logistics, given the fierce fighting on the front lines and the daily Russian aerial assaults on Ukraine’s cities.