An aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday a U.S. call for Ukraine to hold an election after agreeing a ceasefire with Russia looked like a "failed plan" if that is all it consists of, though more details were needed.
President Donald Trump's top Ukraine official Keith Kellogg told Reuters the U.S. wants Ukraine to hold elections, potentially by the end of the year, especially if Kyiv can agree a truce with Russia in the coming months.
"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," said Dmytro Lytvyn, Zelenskyy's communications adviser.
"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," he told Reuters in a written statement.
Kyiv has repeatedly said it does not want a ceasefire without obtaining security guarantees that would stop Moscow regenerating its forces and launching another invasion in the future. Elections are currently prohibited under martial law, which Ukraine imposed after Russia's 2022 invasion.
Lytvyn said Ukraine would prefer to see what he described as a more in-depth approach by officials in key partners.
"But we remember that President Trump, in his meetings with President Zelenskyy, spoke deeply and wisely about the situation and what could actually pressure Putin," he said.
Ukraine has praised Trump and his "peace through strength" approach as Kyiv tries to win the backing it needs to create the conditions for a lasting and robust peace.
Lytvyn said it was important to move quickly to "real work between teams on a concrete plan to end the war and ensure lasting peace".
Nearly three years since Russia's full-scale invasion, Moscow's troops are advancing in eastern Ukraine, while Kyiv's forces are holding a chunk of a western Russian region. Both sides are conducting regular long-range drone strikes far behind the front lines.
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
34 Comments
TaiwanIsNotChina
Putin has not come to the negotiating table. Trump can save a little of what remains of his dignity but only if he sends weapons to Ukraine!!!
TaiwanIsNotChina
Ukrainian elections are not the sticking point. How to get Putin to accept NATO peacekeepers is.
Bob Fosse
It’s just the ‘concept of a plan’. Don’t worry, the war will end eventually someday. That’s what 45 meant in his campaigning, apparently.
Underworld
This is falling for Putin's crafty rhetoric. Ukraine doesn't need elections during wartime, they would be meaningless.
Putin's aim is to disrupt Ukraine politically, and the geniuses in Trump's seem to be falling for it.
Underworld
TaiwanIsNotChina
True. Security guarantees have to be the center of the plan.
Moriah
Everybody recognizes the need for elections in Ukraine except Zelensky.
His legal term as President has ended, thus any agreement he signs would be null and void anyways.
International Law experts in the US State Department understand that.
Zelensky's refusal to accept an election is the impediment to peace.
Underworld
MoriahToday 07:49 am JST
Obviously not, because it is against the Ukrainian constitution.
bass4funk
That won’t happen, so it’s back to the drawing board
dobre vam zajebava
Volodymyr.
expired president.
excellent example of "democrat".
Underworld
dobre vam zajebava
Putin
expired president.
excellent example of "dictator".
JJE
Even General Kellogg gets it: there is a severe legitimacy issue, walking around in Kyiv.
This really shouldn't be that hard a concept to understand.
JJE
The peacekeepers are already there.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Putin doesn't want to negotiate with Ukraine anyways. Why isn't he on the horn with Trump?
TaiwanIsNotChina
Just two more weeks!
TaiwanIsNotChina
You'd feel us if we were there. Also russians like the veneer of doing things by the book.
Underworld
JJE
No, there isn't.
JJE
There is no such thing as "NATO peacekeepers", plus that organization breaks all their agreements anyway and there is no way to sugar coat that fact.
Forcing anyone to 'negotiate' with the Kyiv regime, which has an elephant sized legitimacy issue sticking out the window, is foolhardy in the extreme.
Needs to be more of a focus on assessing which territories will be ceded on top of those that already have and working out a common-sense, UN-observed demarcation that is permanent, whilst including the obvious de-militarization, de-naughtiness and strict neutrality; all absolutely prudent to moving forward and restoring decency.
Primusinter
Yesterday, in another interview (AP) Zelensky said that 58% of American taxpayers' funds did not reach Ukraine. If Zelensky's claim is true — that he received only $75 billion of the more than $177 billion sent by Washington — where is the money and what will happen next? The clown said and it is here, it happened to USAid with no delay. Sure, coincidence.
But he will have to remember in which pocket there are the billions.
Primusinter
Putin yesterday in the weekly conversation with Pavel Zarubin noted that "we can negotiate with anyone," and if Zelensky wants to participate personally, then special people will be allocated from the Russian side "who will have these negotiations with him."
Primusinter
Thus, Putin clearly indicated which place Zelensky could take at the negotiating table.
stormcrow
It doesn’t look like peace will come until one side (Ukraine) or the other (Russia) gives up.
Keep on sending Ukraine the arms it needs to beat back this barbaric invasion.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Meetings can be scheduled in seconds but just two more weeks for that difficult first step!!!
TaiwanIsNotChina
So there is nothing for you to P&M about in Kosovo then is there?
Four international treaties violated with russia's war of aggression.
A country negotiates with its enemies unless it is a criminal pos bent on wiping the other off of the map.
All irrelevant to getting the proper security guarantees to keep animals on their side of the fence. There will be no goody bags handed out to russians this time, at least not without the contents being quite unpleasant for them.
Underworld
JJE
I doubt that Russia will agree to de-militarization, de-naughtiness and strict neutrality, but it's worth trying.
Underworld
Primusinter
More smoke from Putin. It's obvious that he doesn't want to negotiate in good faith.
Fos
The truth is Ukrainians continue to suffer the consequences of this massacre. And the conflict is a dangerous, unwinnable proxy war undertaken by the Washington lobbies invested in Wall Street.
Praising the big US industrial military complex will make things worse.
As a reminder that de facto Zelensky is not elected. His term ended on May 20, 2024, and the 2024 Presidential elections in Ukraine were canceled, citing martial law and general mobilization. Great examples for liberal democracies
Underworld
Fos
As a reminder Putin is not elected.
Underworld
Burgerland
More smoke from Putin. "
He wants to politically destabilize Ukraine.
It's obvious that he doesn't want to negotiate in good faith."
Because he is blowing smoke.
Fos
And the source is Blackrock wires, I guess? The same company who needs to guarantee investors (and contributors) that billions and billions of US made weapons gets delivered in Ukraine in order to pay the commissions, right?
Fact: Presidential elections were held in Russia in March 2024. The incumbent president Vladimir Putin won with 88% of the vote, the highest percentage in a presidential election in post-Soviet Russia.
A reminder that Zelensky is not elected. His term ended on May 20, 2024, and the 2024 Presidential elections in Ukraine were canceled