‘Please tell Putin...’: Zelensky says Ukraine will hold elections if Russia agrees to 60-day ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday (Oct 11) gave a sharp response after US President Donald Trump suggested that Ukraine needs a ‘new leader’. Speaking in an interview, Zelensky made it clear that it was up to the people of Ukraine to choose their leader. He added that if the Trump administration really wanted Ukraine to hold elections, they should tell Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a 60-day ceasefire, and “we will organise elections”. Meanwhile, Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to an “energy ceasefire”; however, Zelensky denied any knowledge of any such agreement.

“First of all, with all respect to President Trump, it's up to our society, up to our people to choose one or another leader,” Zelensky told ABC News in an interview.

He added that if Trump’s team really wanted Ukraine to hold elections, “please tell Putin to give us two months, 60 days of total ceasefire, 60 days, and we will organise elections.”

‘We count on American support’

Zelensky added that Kyiv “counted on American support” to stop the war with Russia that has been going on for more than four years now. He added that he hoped that the latest dispute would not hurt the “unity” among Ukraine’s allies.

“To stop Putin – and I think this is the main goal, to stop him, this is the main deal, to stop this war ... we count on American support,” Zelensky said.

“Then, and of course, we count on our European partners, and I hope that we will save this unity, Europe and the United States,” he added, noting it was “really not simple.”

Zelensky also reiterated that Ukraine was ready for a ceasefire if Russia agree. Russia’s massive attacks this week showed that it does not “feel real pressure” to end the war, he said.

“This week was very difficult for us, not only geopolitically. First of all, because of massive attacks, Russian attacks on our civilian infrastructure,” the Ukrainian president said. “So they attacked 196 times our energy sector, it's only electricity, plus 20 times gas and oil, and they killed, for now, 153 civilians.”

What did Trump say?

Earlier on Saturday (Oct 11), Trump called for Ukraine to elect a new president willing to agree to a peace deal, criticising Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries that he said had contributed to rising diesel prices ahead of the US elections.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he had told Zelensky he could continue military operations against Russia but warned him against targeting refineries.

“He better damn well stop,” Trump said, adding that he believed “it's time for Ukraine to get a new president” who would agree to end the war.