As the conflict between Ukraine and Russia continues, the United States has urged Ukraine to hold elections — potentially by the end of the year — especially if Kiev manages to strike a truce with Russia. Keith Kellogg, former US National Security Advisor to President Trump and his Ukraine envoy, emphasized that “most democratic nations have elections during war,” posing the question: why not Ukraine?
While the idea of holding elections in the middle of a war seems noble, there’s a key complication. Ukraine’s government has already canceled its 2024 elections, citing the ongoing martial law and the full mobilization of the country’s resources for the war effort. In addition, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term expired in May, has firmly stated that holding elections at this time is “untimely” due to the ongoing conflict.
This position has drawn sharp criticism from Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that, in his view, the only legitimate authorities in Ukraine are the parliament and its speaker, dismissing the notion of Zelensky’s government as fully legitimate given the lack of elections.
The situation raises important questions about the state of Ukraine’s democracy during wartime. If Ukraine’s democratic institutions are as robust as its leaders claim, why is there such a delay in organizing elections? The decision to postpone the elections has sparked a broader debate about the balance between democratic processes and wartime realities.
