Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday, 19 October 2025, that he is prepared to run in a presidential election even if the conflict with Russia is still ongoing, conditional on Moscow agreeing to a 60-day ceasefire that would allow Kyiv to amend election laws and set up the required security infrastructure. The statement marks the first time Zelensky has publicly laid out concrete conditions under which wartime elections could be organised.

What Zelensky Said

'If it takes place during the war, of course, it is my duty, because I must defend my country from the beginning until the end of the war,' Zelensky said, according to reports. He stressed that a 60-day window was the minimum needed to amend election legislation and arrange security logistics for a credible vote.

Under current Ukrainian law, elections can only be held at least six months after the end of hostilities. Martial law, imposed in 2022 following Russia's military intervention, has since barred any electoral exercise on grounds of national security. Ukraine last held a presidential election in 2019.

Trump's Pressure and the Broader Context

The comments follow a call earlier this month by US President Donald Trump urging Ukraine to hold a presidential election. Zelensky's conditional openness to a wartime vote appears calibrated to address that political pressure without conceding ground on security requirements.

This comes amid a broader strain in Ukraine-US relations. Zelensky separately disclosed that Washington had temporarily suspended critical intelligence sharing with Ukraine for three days, during which Ukrainian forces received no American advance warnings of Russian ballistic missile attacks.

Intelligence Gap and Satellite Communications

In an interview with NBC's Meet the Press, Zelensky said restrictions on satellite communications used by Ukrainian forces had not been fully lifted, raising fresh concerns about the depth of Washington's military and intelligence support for Kyiv.

'We didn't see attacks of Russia using ballistic missiles,' Zelensky said, referring to the period of the intelligence blackout. He acknowledged that Ukraine continues to receive support from dozens of European and international partners, but was direct about the gap: 'Only United States has this unique intelligence to say, to tell us, to tell our side when Russia uses ballistic missiles.'

What Comes Next

Any path to a wartime election hinges entirely on whether Russia agrees to a temporary ceasefire — a condition that appears politically remote given the current state of the conflict. The debate, however, is likely to intensify as international pressure on both Kyiv and Moscow to explore de-escalation frameworks grows in the months ahead.