After Trump’s sharp criticism… Zelensky announces his readiness to organize elections in Ukraine if conditions are met!

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday he was ready to hold elections in Ukraine if security conditions were met, after US President Donald Trump criticized him and announced he would send Washington his revised proposal for the US plan to end the war.

Under pressure from Trump seeking a peace deal, Zelensky held talks in London and Brussels on Monday with European leaders who expressed solidarity with Kyiv.

“We’re working today (Tuesday) and we will continue tomorrow (Wednesday),” Zelensky told reporters after a tour of European capitals during which he worked to rally the support of his allies… I think we will hand it over tomorrow,” he said, referring to his revised proposal for the US plan.

Earlier, Trump accused Zelensky of being not ready to his administration’s latest proposals and said Russia had an advantage in the conflict, in an interview with Politico news on Tuesday.

Trump accused Kyiv of exploiting the war to avoid elections, as Ukraine hasn’t held any elections since the war began, with martial law ever since then.

“They talk about democracy, but things have gotten to a point where the system is no longer democratic,” Trump said.

Ukrainian law prohibits martial law from holding elections under martial law, without which the presidential election would have to take place in March 2024.

But Zelensky, after Trump’s criticism on Tuesday, has signaled his willingness to hold new elections.

“I am ready for elections,” Zelensky told reporters, noting that he had asked lawmakers to prepare “proposals related to the possibility of amending the legislative bases and electoral laws under martial law announced after the war broke out”.

Zelensky added, “I explicitly ask the United States for my help, and perhaps with my European colleagues, in ensuring security for the elections”.

Zelensky, who has toured European capitals in recent days to formulate a response to the US plan, held talks with European leaders in London and Brussels on Monday.

On Tuesday, he traveled to Italy to meet Pope Leo XIV and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Washington’s plan was for Kyiv to cede territory not occupied by Russia, including the entire Donbas region, in exchange for security pledges that didn’t meet Ukraine’s aspirations for NATO accession.

Zelensky said on Monday that the US plan to stop the war had been reduced from 28 items to 20 after US-Ukraine discussions over the weekend.

The issue of territory and international security guarantees is one of the main sticking points, according to Zelensky.

“We’ve no legal right to cede territory under Ukrainian law, our constitution and international law… We also have no moral right,” the Ukrainian president said.

He stressed the importance of “knowing what our partners will be prepared to do in the event of a new aggression from Russia… So far, we have not received any answer to this question”.

During a televised event on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine as “historically” Russian.

“This area is important, it’s our land historically, without a doubt,” he said.

Trump has taken contradictory stances on Ukraine since returning to the White House in January, criticizing Zelensky for not showing gratitude for US support.

He has also expressed displeasure with Putin for not responding to US efforts to end the war, and recently imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies.

In the interview with Politico, Trump criticized the European role, saying “they talk but they are not productive”.

On related context, the Italian prime minister Girogia Meloni, who bills herself as a bridge between Trump and Europe, has been staunchly supportive of Ukraine since the war began, but League leader Matteo Salvini, one of her partners in the ruling coalition, is skeptical of the feasibility of supporting Kyiv.

Italy is a supplier of weapons to Ukraine, but is used exclusively to strike targets inside Ukraine and has ruled out sending troops as part of a monitoring force proposed by Britain and France.

Last week, the Italian government suspended a decision related to the renewal of military aid to Ukraine, with the current mandate set to expire on December 31.

Salvini is reportedly raising questions about whether aid renewal is necessary in light of the current talks.

However, Meloni insisted that “as long as there is a war, we will do what we can, as we have always done, to help Ukraine defend itself”.