Zelenskyy rejects wartime election, warns it would 'destroy' Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected calls to hold a presidential election during the war with Russia, warning that such a vote would "destroy" the country by splitting Ukrainians.
"I believe that if we want to destroy the country, then we can move towards elections during this kind of war," Zelenskyy said, according to a transcript released on Sunday. He added that "elections right now are a tsunami for the state, which will split Ukraine."
His comments, released to reporters on Sunday, were his first on the subject since ousted defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for a wartime poll in a video address last week. The remarks were made during a two-hour off-the-record meeting with reporters on Saturday, with a transcript released publicly on Sunday.
Elections are prohibited under Ukrainian law during wartime. Martial law has been in place since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, suspending elections. Zelenskyy's five-year presidential term formally ended in May 2024.
Zelenskyy said he would consider fresh elections under "specific conditions," including the participation of military personnel, people in frontline territories, and millions of Ukrainians abroad who fled the war. However, he argued that organising a vote "safely, legitimately, and democratically" is impossible under current conditions, "when Putin refuses to consider any options for a ceasefire."
His approval rating remains stable at about 60 per cent, but an August 5 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that 57 per cent of Ukrainians want elections only after the fighting ends.
Fedorov's call for elections
Fedorov, who was dismissed as defence minister in late July after only six months in the role, posted a video on Tuesday calling for wartime elections. "Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia," he said, adding that Ukraine is fighting "precisely because we want to remain a free European state."
He called for a "legal, safe, and realistic mechanism" to restore a full democratic process even during a prolonged war. Fedorov did not mention Zelenskyy by name in the video, nor did he reveal any personal political ambitions.
The dismissal sparked widespread protests across Ukraine, but some of his supporters later balked at his call for an election. His appeal has also been criticised by both Zelenskyy allies and opposition members, who argue that elections would strengthen the Kremlin's position and sow division.
Fedorov, who was credited with modernising Ukraine's armed forces and advancing the military's use of technology and drone warfare, has been seen as a top political challenger to Zelenskyy. He was dismissed following a reported fallout with army commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, who was replaced several weeks later. Zelenskyy offered Fedorov four different options to continue working in government, but he rejected all of them, saying he would only return as defence minister.
In a BBC interview aired Sunday, Fedorov said Zelenskyy had "questions to answer" about alleged corruption in his government, citing a money laundering investigation announced last week. He told the BBC that Ukrainians should not be afraid of discussing elections: "If I cannot share my ideas and be open about them with my own society, then what are we fighting for?"
Starlink dispute with Trump
Zelenskyy also detailed an awkward encounter with US President Donald Trump over the use of Starlink satellite services in Russia. He said that in the first half of the year, he received a request from the Ministry of Defense to reach an agreement with Trump on using Starlink in Russia for defence purposes.
According to Zelenskyy, SpaceX, headed by Elon Musk, had apparently already given the go-ahead, subject to political approval. He said he met with Trump and told him that Musk had confirmed permission. However, representatives of the two delegations tried to contact Musk but he did not answer their calls at the time.
During a subsequent meeting, Trump said that SpaceX had denied Ukraine permission to use Starlink in Russia because of the potential for escalation against Russia. Zelenskyy said Trump accused him of misleading him: "He said that I had supposedly deceived him because Musk had denied Ukraine the use of Starlink on Russian territory. I went back to our Ministry of Defense, and they said that maybe it was so."
Zelenskyy did not explicitly accuse Fedorov of lying but indicated that inaccurate information from the Defence Ministry contributed to the incident and was among the reasons for "some of the steps" taken. He said Ukraine is continuing dialogue with the US side on the issue and that he has involved other world leaders in promoting the idea.
Missile shortages and battlefield outlook
Zelenskyy disclosed figures showing Ukraine's growing shortage of Patriot air-defence missiles, with deliveries from Western allies declining over the past three years. He said Ukraine's air force asked for 360 interceptor missiles for the winter season, and that he is seeking 300 Patriot interceptors.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine received 364 interceptors in 2025, down from 675 in 2023, and expects 264 in 2026. He also said Russia aims to produce up to 1,300 ballistic missiles a year and is currently capable of producing 600. He warned that Russia has stockpiled around 600 to 630 high-speed ballistic missiles and is seeking to produce more than 100 a month ahead of winter.
On the battlefield, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces have almost completely recaptured the Dnipropetrovsk region, with only about 10 square kilometres and three small villages remaining under Russian control. He predicted parity by the end of 2026, noting that Russia occupied 990 square kilometres and Ukraine restored 820 square kilometres. He also said Russia's principal objective remained the Konstantynivka-Sloviansk-Kramatorsk axis and that Moscow was still demanding Ukraine withdraw from the Donbas as a condition for a settlement.
Zelenskyy also mentioned a $27 billion defence funding gap this year. He said he reached an agreement with France on at least one SAMP/T air-defence system this year and with Germany on the supply of about 600 PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors through 2028.