KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s parliament has passed a resolution affirming the legitimacy of Volodymyr Zelenskyy as president and confirming that elections are not possible until after the war ends.
The resolution is a rebuff to U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who have both suggested Zelenskyy is illegitimate because he has not held elections during the war with Russia.
The parliament passed the resolution on the second attempt, after an initial vote on Monday failed to achieve sufficient support.
A woman walks outside St. Iveron Convent, which was heavily damaged by artillery and gun fire during battles for the local airport in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Donetsk, a Russian controlled region of Ukraine, Feb. 25, 2025.
Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
Zelenskyy said on Sunday he would step down if it meant peace for his country, adding he would also do so if it meant Ukraine would be granted NATO membership.
The parliament noted on Tuesday that Zelenskyy was elected in legitimate elections and his mandate is not in doubt. It also said that no elections can be held until the lifting of martial law after the coming of a “just and lasting peace.”
Zelenskyy was elected in a landslide in 2019, but his term expired last May. Ukraine is under martial law which under its constitution forbids the holding of elections.
In this handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on Feb. 24, 2025, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a meeting with European leaders in Kyiv.
Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/AFP via Getty Images
Most Ukrainians, including major opposition parties, agree that holding credible elections now amidst the war is not possible because millions are abroad as refugees, hundreds of thousands are fighting.
An election could also be an opportunity for Russia to divide the country while it is trying to defend itself.
