At present, Ukraine is not considering putting a potential peace agreement to a nationwide referendum. The government is focused on finding solutions that will not add unnecessary risks and stress to society amid the ongoing war.
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this while speaking to journalists. He stressed that at this stage, the referendum question is not on the agenda, citing the complexity of any potential document and the potentially painful consequences of the decisions that might be involved.
"In any case, we are not talking about a referendum yet. It's a complicated document, complicated decisions. We are trying to do everything so that the lives of Ukrainians, which are already difficult due to the war, are not further complicated by certain decisions," Zelensky said.
At the same time, the president conceded that the state might return to the topic of elections if "sensitive issues" arise or if the context changes. According to him, the topic of elections has already been raised in public discourse, particularly after signals from the US, and he confirmed his readiness to hold them.
Zelensky clarified that preparing the electoral process requires changes to the legislation, with the key condition being a guarantee of legitimacy—both of the voting itself and the results. The head of state placed particular emphasis on the need for a security infrastructure.
"I emphasized this to our partners once again today: I am ready for elections. And for the people of Ukraine to be ready, cooperation regarding changes to the laws is needed, but above all, the most important thing is the ability to hold legitimate elections or hold elections with a legitimate result. For this, a security infrastructure is necessary," the president noted.
Separately, Zelensky stressed that elections are possible only on the condition of a ceasefire. According to him, if an agreement can be reached on a ceasefire for an agreed-upon period, Ukraine will be ready to organize the electoral process within specific deadlines.
