Zelensky: Ready to work with Rada on election solutions if fighting stops for 60 days

Zelensky is not proposing elections immediately. He says attacks make voting impossible while Ukraine is under fire day and night. His plan is conditional: first, Russia and Ukraine would need a full ceasefire. He says the pause must last at least 60 days.

If that condition is met, Zelensky says he is ready to work with the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament. Together, they would seek complex solutions, including changes to legislation and the Constitution. Those changes would help arrange elections as soon as possible under wartime conditions.

The proposal also responds to pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who said Ukraine needs a new president. Zelensky says the United States should use its influence with Russia to secure the ceasefire. Until then, active attacks and the presence of more than a million eligible voters on the front lines remain major barriers.

The Verkhovna Rada is Ukraine’s national parliament. It makes laws and can take part in constitutional changes. That matters because election arrangements must operate within Ukraine’s legal system, especially during wartime and under unusual security conditions.

Zelensky says he is ready to work with parliament if a full ceasefire is secured. He described the task as seeking complex solutions. The process could include changing legislation and the Constitution so elections could be held as soon as possible.

Parliamentary cooperation would not itself make voting safe. The article identifies continuing attacks and more than a million eligible voters serving on the front lines as additional obstacles. Zelensky’s proposal therefore links legal action to a larger political and security condition: at least 60 days of a full ceasefire. Without that pause, legal changes would not resolve the immediate risks.

The voting challenge is both large and operational. More than a million people eligible to vote are serving on Ukraine’s front lines. At the same time, Zelensky says Russia is planning attacks every hour, after earlier periods in which thousands of attacks occurred mainly at night.

That scale affects more than the number of ballots. Many eligible voters would be deployed in active combat areas, while other citizens would face threats at home. Zelensky’s proposed mechanism is a full ceasefire lasting at least 60 days. He says this would create time to work with parliament and arrange elections.

The article does not provide the total number of eligible voters or a detailed voting timetable. It does show why the challenge is unusually difficult: over a million voters are at the front, and the security environment remains unstable. If the ceasefire is achieved, legal and practical election planning could begin.

When attacks continue day and night, an election cannot reliably protect voters, election workers, or polling places. Zelensky says Russia is planning attacks every hour. Under those conditions, people may be unable to reach polling locations, and voting could be interrupted by immediate danger.

The front line creates another problem. More than a million eligible voters are serving there. They may not be able to leave their positions or access ordinary polling arrangements. That can reduce participation and make it difficult to ensure that every eligible citizen has a practical chance to vote.

These conditions threaten both safety and fairness. Some voters could participate while others are effectively excluded by combat duties or attacks. The article does not specify an alternative voting system. Zelensky therefore says elections are impossible now and links any future vote to a full ceasefire lasting at least 60 days.

Ukraine’s election rules and constitutional arrangements may not be designed for a country under constant attack. A vote during wartime raises practical questions about timing, security, voter access, and the participation of people serving on the front lines. The article says elections are currently impossible from a security standpoint.

Zelensky says he would work with the Verkhovna Rada to seek complex solutions after a full ceasefire. He specifically mentions changes to legislation and the Constitution. Those changes could create a legal route for holding elections as soon as possible, rather than relying on rules that do not fit the situation.

Legal changes would be only one part of the process. More than a million eligible voters remain on the front lines, and attacks are continuing. A 60-day full ceasefire would provide the condition Zelensky says is needed to begin this work. The article does not describe the exact amendments.

A full ceasefire means the fighting stops broadly, while an energy ceasefire concerns attacks connected with energy infrastructure or energy-related targets. The article treats these as different arrangements. Zelensky says only a full ceasefire would create acceptable conditions for elections.

The distinction matters because voting requires security across the country, not just protection for one category of sites. Zelensky describes Ukraine as facing attacks day and night, with Russia planning attacks every hour. A limited energy pause would not remove those wider dangers or solve the problem of voters serving in combat zones.

The article reports that Trump called for an energy ceasefire to take effect on Sunday, but says Russia had already violated it multiple times. Zelensky instead asks for at least 60 days of a full ceasefire. He says that longer, broader pause would allow work with parliament on election arrangements.

A democratic election needs more than a date written into law. Voters must be able to reach polling places safely, election workers must be able to operate, and institutions must be capable of organizing and protecting the process. Without those conditions, a legal election could exclude people or expose them to danger.

The article gives concrete barriers. Zelensky says Ukraine is under attack day and night, with Russia planning attacks every hour. He also says more than a million eligible voters are on the front lines. Those facts make ordinary participation and equal access difficult, even if authorities announced a voting day.

That is why Zelensky links elections to a full ceasefire of at least 60 days. The pause would not automatically solve every issue, but it could create room for security planning, legal changes, and arrangements for deployed voters. The article does not provide a final election date or a detailed voting method.