Trump's Representative Says the U.S. Wants Elections in Ukraine After Ceasefire

Donald Trump's representative for Ukraine has urged Kyiv to hold elections after a ceasefire with Russia to end the war that has been ongoing for three years. Kate Klag stated in an interview with Reuters on Saturday, February 1, that the U.S. government wants Ukraine to hold presidential and parliamentary elections by the end of the year, especially if a ceasefire agreement with Russia is reached in the coming months. He emphasized that elections in Ukraine have been halted due to the war with Russia, but 'must take place.' Klag noted, 'Many democratic governments hold elections even during wartime, and I think it is important for Ukraine to do so, as elections are beneficial for democracy, and the beauty of a robust democratic system is that it can be governed by more than one person.' Trump has stated he is determined to end the war in Ukraine; Biden's latest military aid to Kyiv has been noted. Trump and his senior representative on Ukraine have repeatedly said that in the early months of the new U.S. administration, they will present a peace plan between Ukraine and Russia, but so far, they have not provided details of their strategy to end the largest war in Europe since World War II, nor have they mentioned a date for unveiling their plan. Sergey Ryabkov, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, said last week that direct contacts between the Kremlin and the White House are still ongoing. This war began in February 2022 with Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, and currently, one-fifth of Ukraine's territory is occupied by Russia. Reuters reports that Trump's plan is still taking shape, and final political decisions have not yet been made; however, several informed sources from behind-the-scenes negotiations between the U.S. and Ukraine say that Klag and other White House officials have recently discussed pressuring the Kyiv government led by Volodymyr Zelensky to hold elections as part of an initial ceasefire with Russia. On the other hand, Klag stated in an interview with Fox News on Friday that the U.S. has a 'reliable' strategy to end the war between Russia and Ukraine within a few months. He explained, 'I say a few months; we are not talking about a few years. We have a reliable action plan.' The representative called Donald Trump a 'great dealmaker' and said he is creating leverage over Moscow and Kyiv because 'he knows where to apply pressure and where not to.' A senior advisor to the Kyiv government and a government source told Reuters that the Trump administration has not yet formally requested Ukraine to hold presidential elections by the end of the year. Reuters, citing sources who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, reported that Trump officials are also considering whether they should first focus on establishing an initial ceasefire or directly pursue a long-term agreement. Reuters sources clarified that if elections are held, the new president of Ukraine could be responsible for negotiating a long-term agreement with Moscow. Zelensky opposed the annexation of part of Ukraine by Russia. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has explicitly stated that given the postponement of elections in Ukraine, he does not consider Zelensky a 'legitimate' leader and believes he does not have the legal right to sign binding documents related to a potential peace agreement. A source from the Ukrainian government told Reuters that Putin is using the issue of elections as a 'false pretext' to disrupt upcoming negotiations. Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, previously stated that if hostilities end and strong security guarantees are provided to prevent renewed Russian attacks, Ukraine could hold elections this year. Zelensky's five-year presidential term was supposed to end in 2024, but presidential and parliamentary elections in the country cannot be held due to the martial law imposed by Ukraine in February 2022.