Russia has said it would be prepared to ensure an absence of shelling on the day of a possible election in Ukraine, should Kyiv decide to hold a vote, making the statement amid continued hostilities and the absence of a ceasefire.
According to The WP Times., the remarks were made by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin in an interview with TASS. Galuzin said Moscow was allegedly ready to guarantee what he described as “silence” on the day of voting if the Ukrainian authorities chose to proceed with elections. He added that Russia was also prepared to discuss with the United States and other countries the issue of temporary external governance of Ukraine under the auspices of the United Nations. The comments did not specify how such guarantees would be implemented or verified, nor did they address the broader question of sustained security beyond a single day of voting.
Ukraine’s position
Ukraine has consistently maintained that elections are impossible while active hostilities continue. President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly said that any electoral process can only begin after a ceasefire and once credible security guarantees are in place.
“I am very honest. Give us two months of a ceasefire — and we will go to elections. Give us a ceasefire and security infrastructure. Maybe not two months, but we need many days to prepare,” Zelensky said previously. He has stressed that Ukraine will not announce elections without stable security conditions and that voting during wartime would expose voters, election officials and infrastructure to unacceptable risks.
Elections during wartime
Speculation around possible elections in Ukraine has intensified in recent months. Media outlets including The Economist and Financial Times have reported, citing sources, that presidential elections could theoretically take place in 2026, with May mentioned as one of several potential timeframes.
Ukraine’s Presidential Office has reacted cautiously to such reports, underlining that the country’s primary objective remains achieving a just and lasting peace. Zelensky has also said that the idea of announcing elections on 24 February — the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion — would be inappropriate and politically unacceptable.
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Photo: Mikhail Galuzin (from open sources)
