The Kremlin says no!

“Please tell Putin: Give us two months, 60 days of a complete ceasefire, and we will organize elections,” Zelensky said on Sunday during an appearance on ABC’s This Week.

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia does not want a temporary pause in the fighting.

“In the Kremlin, both President Putin and officials at other levels have repeatedly stated that we do not want a ceasefire. We want lasting peace, and we are prepared to do whatever is necessary to achieve it,” Peskov said.

Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be prepared to order a halt to attacks on Ukraine on election day if Kyiv genuinely wanted elections to take place.

“The president has already spoken about this, but in this case, I can say on his behalf, with full responsibility, that if they genuinely want elections to be held in Kyiv, then the president of the Russian Federation, the supreme commander-in-chief, would be prepared to issue an order not to attack Ukraine on election day,” Peskov told reporters in remarks published on the Kremlin’s account on the Max platform.

“Kyiv does not actually want to hold elections”

Peskov said that Kyiv needed a 60-day ceasefire not to hold elections, but to regroup and resume the war, RIA Novosti reported.

“Kyiv does not actually want to hold elections; that is absolutely obvious. They do not need a 60-day ceasefire for elections, but rather to regroup, recover from their wounds and continue the war,” Peskov said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should hold elections in Ukraine and that he believes the country needs a new leader who can negotiate with Russia. In response, Zelensky said he would consider the issue only if a complete ceasefire with Russia lasting at least 60 days were in place.

Peskov also said that Russia had been ready to resume peace negotiations immediately after the State Duma elections, held from September 18 to 20, but that Kyiv had launched large-scale attacks on Moscow.

“It is worth recalling that the Russian side was ready, and openly stated so immediately after the elections, to resume peace negotiations right after the State Duma elections. But what did Ukraine do? Ukraine launched unprecedentedly massive attacks on Moscow, Ukraine attempted to disrupt these elections, Ukraine bombed polling stations, and Ukraine attacked and personally killed several members of district election commissions in Russia’s new regions,” Peskov said.

Zelenskyy’s presidential term expired on May 20, 2024, but Ukraine’s presidential elections were postponed because of the ongoing conflict with Russia, the declaration of martial law and general mobilization.

Russia has long pressured Ukraine to hold elections, arguing that the absence of a vote undermines Zelensky’s legitimacy as head of state. On the other hand, holding elections under martial law is strictly prohibited by Ukrainian law, Reuters reports.