Zelenskyy discusses elections during war with Rada after Trump's words

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the issue of holding elections during the war with representatives of the Verkhovna Rada. The head of state said this in an evening video address the day after the US president Donald Trump's statement.

"Today I spoke with representatives of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. We talked substantively. I will not allow any speculation against Ukraine. If our partners – including our key partner in Washington – talk so much and so specifically about the elections in Ukraine, about the elections under the legal regime of martial law, then we must give Ukrainians legitimate answers to every question and every doubt," the president said.

Zelenskyy admitted that "it's not easy," but emphasized that "we definitely don't need pressure in this regard."

The head of state expects MPs to offer their vision in this regard.

"Security challenges [regarding the elections] depend on partners, on America, first of all, and political and legal challenges must be answered by Ukraine. And they will," he summarized.

• Earlier, on December 9, Trump said that it was time to hold elections in Ukraine, as they "have not been held for a very long time." The US leader also suggested that Zelenskyy could win the vote.
• Reacting to this, the head of Ukraine said that "always ready for elections", and later called on the United States to ensure appropriate security conditions for voting.