Ukrainian President Zelensky ready to step down if war ends, open to elections during ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that his primary goal remains ending the Russian invasion, and he is “ready” to leave office once that is achieved.

“If we finish [the] war with [the] Russians, I’m ready not to go for the second term because it’s not my goal — elections,” Zelensky said. “I wanted very much in a very difficult period of time to be with my country, help my country. My goal is to finish the war,” Zelensky told Axios.

Possible elections during ceasefire

Zelensky left open the possibility of holding elections during a ceasefire with Russia, even if a permanent peace deal is not reached.

“During the cease-fire, I think security can give the possibility to have elections,” he said. “It can be so.”

Postponed elections

Zelensky, 47, was elected in April 2019 for a five-year term. Ukraine’s scheduled March 2024 elections have been postponed indefinitely under martial law due to the ongoing Russian invasion, prompting some critics to accuse him of consolidating power.

President Trump had previously referred to Zelensky as a “dictator” during a low point in US-Ukraine relations in February 2023. Zelensky, however, emphasized that Ukrainians may want “a leader with … a new mandate” to guide the country into its post-war future.