"This is not for us to decide. There is a constitutional framework, and Ukraine must decide for itself," the European Commission spokesperson said, commenting on former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov's call for elections to be held in Ukraine.
Hipper added that the EU is ready to support Ukraine throughout the electoral process, should that be needed.
On the evening of Aug. 18, Mykhailo Fedorov posted a video address on his YouTube channel in which he stated that elections need to be held in Ukraine.
He emphasized that Russia has no right to determine when Ukrainians can once again choose their leadership. Fedorov also said Ukraine cannot remain without a fully appointed head of the Defense Ministry during wartime, and he called for a broader discussion about the country's future and its democracy.
The Guardian wrote that Fedorov's address represents the most direct political challenge to Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
The President's Office said it does not see "realism" in the former defense minister's proposal to hold elections in Ukraine during wartime. A source in the President's Office, commenting on the ex-minister's idea to the BBC, said it is "very bizarre to plan elections amid missiles and drones."