Trump administration wants Ukraine to hold elections immediately after fighting ends – media

The new U.S. presidential administration wants Ukraine to hold elections immediately after active fighting ends, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and russia, Keith Kellogg, said in an interview with Reuters.

"Most democratic nations have elections in their time of war. I think it is important they do so. I think it is good for democracy. That's the beauty of a solid democracy, you have more than one person potentially running," he said.

Trump's peace plan is still in the process of being created, and no policy decisions have yet been made, but Kellogg and other White House officials have discussed in recent days how to push Ukraine to agree to elections as part of an initial ceasefire with russia.

Two people familiar with the discussions in the Trump administration said the White House is also discussing whether to insist on an initial ceasefire before trying to reach a more permanent agreement. If a presidential election were held in Ukraine, the winner could be responsible for negotiating a long-term pact with moscow, they said.

A senior “advisor” in Kyiv and a Ukrainian government source said the Trump administration has not yet formally demanded that Ukraine hold presidential election by the end of the year.