Zelenskyy: Can Hold Elections Quickly  12/10 06:15

   

   KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukrainian officials were expected to hand their latest 
peace proposals to United States negotiators Wednesday, according to President 
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who also said Ukraine would be ready for elections within 
three months if partners can guarantee a safe vote during wartime and if its 
electoral law can be altered.

   Zelenskyy was responding to comments by U.S. President Donald Trump in which 
he questioned Ukraine's democracy and suggested the Ukrainian leader was using 
the war as an excuse not to hold an election.

   Zelenskyy told reporters late Tuesday that he is "ready" for an election but 
would need help from the U.S. and possibly Europe to ensure security for a vote 
to happen. He suggested that Ukraine could be ready to hold balloting in 60 to 
90 days if that proviso is met.

   "To hold elections, two issues must be addressed: primarily, security -- how 
to conduct them, how to do it under strikes, under missile attacks; and a 
question regarding our military -- how they would vote," Zelenskyy said.

   "And the second issue is the legislative framework required to ensure the 
legitimacy of elections," he said.

   Previously, Zelenskyy had pointed out that a ballot can't legally take place 
while martial law imposed due to Russia's invasion nearly four years ago is in 
place. He has also asked how a vote could happen when civilian areas of Ukraine 
are being bombarded by Russia and almost 20% of the country is under Russian 
occupation.

   Zelenskyy said he has asked lawmakers from his party in Parliament to draw 
up legislative proposals that would allow elections while Ukraine is under 
martial law.

   Ukrainians have on the whole supported Zelenskyy's arguments, and there has 
been no clamor in Ukraine for an election. Under the Ukrainian law that is in 
force, Zelenskyy's rule is legitimate.

   But with Trump pressing hard for a deal between Kyiv and Moscow, Zelenskyy 
is walking a tightrope between defending Ukrainian interests and showing the 
American president that he is willing to make some compromises.

   Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly complained that Zelenskyy 
can't legitimately negotiate a peace settlement because his five-year term in 
office that began in 2019 has expired.

   "I think it's an important time to hold an election. They're using war not 
to hold an election," Trump said in an interview with Politico, echoing 
Moscow's stance.

   US, Russia seek closer ties

   A new U.S. national security strategy released last Friday made it clear 
that Trump wants to improve America's relationship with Moscow and "reestablish 
strategic stability with Russia."

   The document also portrays European allies as weak.

   Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday praised Trump's role in 
the Ukraine peace effort, saying in a speech at the Federation Council, the 
upper house of Russia's Parliament, that Moscow appreciates his "commitment to 
dialogue." Trump, Lavrov said, is "the only Western leader" who shows "an 
understanding of the reasons that made war in Ukraine inevitable."

   While Trump's decisions are likely to be pivotal for Ukraine, Washington's 
peace efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv.

   Trump's initial peace proposal was heavily slanted toward Russia's demands. 
To counter that, Zelenskyy has turned to his European supporters.

   In recent days, Zelenskyy met the leaders of Britain, Germany and France in 
London, and the heads of NATO and the European Union in Brussels, before 
traveling on to Rome for talks with the Italian prime minister and Pope Leo XIV.

   Zelenskyy said three documents were being discussed with American and 
European partners -- a 20-point framework document that is constantly changing, 
a document on security guarantees, and a document about Ukraine's recovery.

   Military aid for Ukraine declines

   Europe's support is uneven, however, and that has meant a drop-off in 
military aid since the Trump administration this year cut off supplies to Kyiv 
unless they were paid for by other NATO countries.

   Foreign military help for Ukraine fell sharply over the summer, and that 
trend continued through September and October, a German body that tracks 
international help for Ukraine said Wednesday.

   Average annual aid, mostly provided by the U.S. and Europe, was around 41.6 
euros billion ($48.4 billion) between 2022--2024. But so far this year Ukraine 
has received just 32.5 billion euros ($37.8 billion), the Kiel Institute said.

   "If this slower pace continues in the remaining months (of the year), 2025 
will become the year with the lowest level of new aid allocations" since the 
war began, it said.

   This year, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have substantially increased 
their help for Ukraine, while Germany nearly tripled its average monthly 
allocations and France and the U.K. both more than doubled their contributions, 
according to the Kiel Institute.

   On the other hand, it said, Spain recorded no new military aid for Kyiv in 
2025 while Italy reduced its low contributions by 15% compared with 2022--2024.