Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has firmly denied media reports suggesting that he would announce the date of the presidential elections on Feb. 24.
Posting on X, Zelensky insisted there would be no imminent election called, and also repeated that elections could only take place once security in Ukraine is established.
“Feb. 24 is a special date. Even if there were an intention or relevant steps toward bringing certain elections forward, I believe it would be an utterly stupid idea to use such a date to talk about politics,” he wrote.
“This is a very serious date – four years of war. It’s a large number of people who have defended our state and given their lives. And it is since Feb. 24 that our people have been defending their country every day. I could never do such a thing,” Zelensky continued.
As to any future election, the Ukrainian president reiterated that a date will be proposed only when “all the relevant security guarantees are in place.”
“We are ready for elections,” he wrote. “It’s very simple to do: establish a ceasefire – and there will be elections.”
The last presidential election in Ukraine took place in 2019. According to the constitution, the president’s term lasts five years, but the war has demanded martial law, under which elections can be postponed.
Zelensky may have a strong motive to make sure elections do not happen anytime soon. For one, his administration is still embroiled in a major corruption scandal, which saw his own justice minister resign and top aides arrested. One close business associate, Timur Mindich, even fled to Israel just hours before his residence was raided by anti-corruption police in Ukraine.
New evidence continues to be gathered, but some critics say the investigation has grown dangerously close to Zelensky’s inner circle.
In an indication that corruption may have reached every level of the Ukrainian government, there were also a number of arrests tied to a “cash-for-votes” scheme in the Ukrainian parliament.
President Donald Trump has been one of the biggest proponents of elections in Ukraine and has openly criticized Zelensky’s decision to maintain martial law.
In February 2025, Trump significantly escalated his rhetoric on Truth Social and in press conferences, explicitly branding Zelensky a “dictator without elections.”
Zelensky tied any ceasefire to Ukraine’s accession to the EU, which he said must be part of a peace plan. “It is important that Ukraine does everything to be technically ready for EU accession by 2027. At least the main steps we will accomplish,” he noted, insisting that a “specific date” be in writing.
“For us, the EU means specifics, because this is about security guarantees for Ukraine,” he added.
