U.S. President Donald Trump has voiced support for holding presidential elections in Ukraine, aligning with calls for renewed democratic processes in the country.
Speaking to journalists at Mar-a-Lago, Trump highlighted that Ukraine has gone an extended period without elections due to martial law.
“We have a situation where we haven’t had elections in Ukraine, where we have martial law,” Trump told. He also claimed that Zelensky’s approval rating was “at 4%” and “we have a country that has been blown to smithereens.”
He argued that Ukrainian citizens should have a say in their country’s leadership: “You know, they want a seat at the table, wouldn’t the people of Ukraine have to have a say, like it’s been a lot of times since we’ve had an election?”
Trump refuted claims that the push for elections was a Russian demand, stating, “That’s not a Russia thing; that’s something that’s coming from me.”
When asked whether elections might be seen as a concession and how a potential agreement involving Ukraine’s natural resources could play out, Trump responded:
“Today I heard, ‘Oh well, we weren’t invited,’” the president said, referring to Ukraine’s complaints that it’s not been allowed to take part in the nascent peace process. “Well, you been there for three years. You should’ve ended it after three years. You should’ve never started it. You could’ve made a deal,” he said.
