Ukraine, «Zelensky intends to announce presidential elections and referendum on peace with Russia on February 24» | EUROtoday

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to announce plans for presidential elections and a referendum on February 24, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing Ukrainian and European officers concerned within the course of.

Last week, Reuters reported that, below a framework being mentioned between U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators, any peace deal could be put to a referendum by Ukrainian voters, who would vote concurrently within the nationwide election, including that officers had mentioned the chance that the nationwide election and referendum may happen in May.

Ukraine has now began planning presidential elections alongside a referendum on a possible peace cope with Russia, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing Ukrainian and Western officers aware of the matter.

The presidential elections have been a urgent request of US President Donald Trump in latest months. And the truth is, in keeping with the City newspaper, Kiev started planning the presidential elections and the referendum after the Trump administration pressured them to be held by May 15, warning that in any other case Ukraine would lose the safety ensures proposed by the United States. Zelensky instructed the press final week that Washington desires “to do everything by June, so that the war ends,” including: “And they want a clear program.”

The Kiev turning level

Calling elections – underlines FT – would mark a radical political turning level for a president who has repeatedly argued that such votes are unattainable whereas the nation stays below martial legislation, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are displaced and round 20% of the nation is below Russian occupation. In any case, Ukrainian and Western officers burdened that each the timetable and the US ultimatum had been unlikely to be adopted up, as they relied on a number of components, together with the potential for making progress in direction of a peace settlement with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But the plan underlines Zelensky’s want to maximise his re-election prospects, whereas reassuring Donald Trump that Kiev is just not slowing down the drive in direction of a peace deal.