Ceasefire and elections in Ukraine will not scare Putin – Zelensky's advisor

Ceasefire and elections in Ukraine will not scare Putin – Zelensky's advisor

Ukrinform
If the plan of the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, involves a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war and holding elections in Ukraine, it is important to understand that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be intimidated by this.

President Volodymyr Zelensky's communications advisor, Dmytro Lytvyn, said this in a post on X, Ukrinform reports.

"We haven't seen Mr. Kellogg's full interview, only a few quotes about the elections, so it's hard to fully assess his position. But if his plan is just a ceasefire and elections, it is a failed plan – Putin won't be intimidated by just those two things. Moscow keeps increasing missile and ammunition production, finding new ways to bypass sanctions, and making money from oil. And it's clear that all these weapons are not being built to respect democratic neighbors. Russia's military alliance with North Korea is clearly not about respecting a ceasefire," Lytvyn said.

He added that Ukraine would like to see a more in-depth approach from key partners.

"But we remember that President Trump, in his meetings with President Zelensky, spoke deeply and wisely about the situation and what could actually pressure Putin. That's why it's important to move quickly to real work between teams on a concrete plan to end the war and ensure lasting peace," Lytvyn said.

Read also: Putin fears direct talks with Ukraine – Zelensky

As Ukrinform previously reported, Trump administration officials have begun discussing the need for elections in Ukraine -- possibly by the end of the year -- as part of broader efforts to negotiate an end to the war launched by Russia.

"The Trump plan is still evolving and no policy decisions have been made, but Kellogg and other White House officials have discussed in recent days pushing Ukraine to agree to elections as part of an initial truce with Russia," several people familiar with the discussions told Reuters.

Zelensky reiterated that, under current law, elections can only be held after the end of martial law. Any legislative changes to allow voting during wartime, he said, would be "very difficult" as Ukrainian society largely opposes the idea.

Photo: RFE/RL

While citing and using any materials on the Internet, links to the website ukrinform.net not lower than the first paragraph are mandatory. In addition, citing the translated materials of foreign media outlets is possible only if there is a link to the website ukrinform.net and the website of a foreign media outlet. Materials marked as "Advertisement" or with a disclaimer reading "The material has been posted in accordance with Part 3 of Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising" No. 270/96-VR of July 3, 1996 and the Law of Ukraine "On the Media" No. 2849-Х of March 31, 2023 and on the basis of an agreement/invoice.

Online media entity; Media identifier - R40-01421.

© 2015-2025 Ukrinform. All rights reserved.

Extended searchHide extended search
By period:
-