Trump says Ukraine should hold an election as he pushes war talks
Event date: 2025-02-18
President Donald Trump suggested that Ukraine should hold a new presidential election as part of any peace deal with Russia, deepening pressure on Kyiv as Washington talks about ending the war.
NBC News reported that Trump made the comments while criticizing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose country was invaded by Russia in February 2022. Trump argued that Ukraine had been in the conflict for three years and said the war could have been avoided if Kyiv had made a deal earlier. He also said he believed he had the power to end the conflict.
The remarks came after Zelenskyy said Ukraine should not be excluded from any negotiations over how to end the war. NBC said Zelenskyy complained that his country had not been invited to U.S.-Russia discussions in Saudi Arabia. The Ukrainian leader said decisions about the war could not be made behind Ukraine’s back.
Trump’s election comments echoed a longstanding line from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has questioned Zelenskyy’s legitimacy and political mandate. NBC reported that Ukraine last held a presidential election in 2019 and had been due to vote in 2024, but wartime conditions and the constitution have prevented a new ballot.
The article said Trump also told reporters that Ukrainians would need to have a say if a peace plan involved new elections. That position is notable because it places domestic political conditions inside the debate over a war settlement, not just territorial or security terms.
NBC reported that Zelenskyy’s office did not immediately respond to Trump’s latest remarks. The story also noted that Moscow reacted warmly to Trump’s broader shift in tone toward the war. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Trump was the first Western leader to say the previous U.S. administration had helped draw Ukraine into NATO, language that aligned with Kremlin talking points.
The election issue is sensitive because it touches both legitimacy and wartime governance. A presidential vote in Ukraine has been delayed by martial-law conditions since Russia’s full-scale invasion, and Kyiv has said it is not possible to hold a credible nationwide ballot while the country remains under attack.
Trump’s comments therefore go beyond a simple campaign message. They point to a possible U.S. attempt to reframe the peace process around political change in Ukraine as well as military de-escalation, even as Kyiv insists it must be part of any settlement talks.
