“We need security to hold elections. Even if it is difficult according to our constitution, we can hold elections provided there is a ceasefire. Of course, with the support of our partners. We need security,” Zelenskyy said, without detailing what international assistance would be required.
His comments come amid an ongoing discussion over Ukraine’s political future as the war drags on. A June poll conducted by the Janus Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts, the SOCIS Center for Social and Marketing Research, and the publication Barometer of Public Sentiment found that 30.9% of decided voters would back Zelenskyy in a presidential race. Former Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhnyi placed a close second with 27.7% — and the survey suggested that Zaluzhnyi would defeat Zelenskyy in a runoff.