Ukraine suspends preparations for elections

Active work by the working group preparing for elections in Ukraine has effectively been halted and put on hold.

This was stated to The Telegraph by Oleh Dunda, a member of the group and a Ukrainian MP from the Servant of the People party.

“After it became clear in the spring that Moscow had no desire to end the war or even agree to a ceasefire, first, elections are not timely, and second, it is unknown under what conditions they could be held at all. Therefore, the active work of the group has de facto stopped and it is no longer functioning. Experts are developing some proposals, but there is virtually no real work,” he said.

Another group member, former Central Election Commission head Andrii Mahera, also stressed that as long as Ukraine lacks security and hostilities continue, “there is no point in talking about elections as a realistic prospect.”

Oleksandr Kachura, another member of the group and a Servant of the People MP, said the body’s work helped “put an end to nonsense” about holding elections during martial law.

“This contradicts both national legislation and international standards. Scholars and constitutional lawyers convinced most faction leaders that there was no need to make a mistake and organise something the world would not recognise,” he said.

MPs also said that U.S. pressure on Ukraine over elections had stopped, meaning Kyiv no longer had a reason to “speed up events.” Another group member, Olha Aivazovska, said that only one meeting had been held over the past two months, and that it was more organisational than substantive.

According to Oleksii Koshel, head of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine, a draft election law was 80–90% ready by the beginning of spring, with only certain provisions still requiring coordination among separate working groups. Therefore, if necessary, the bill could be submitted to parliament “very quickly,” he said.

On July 1, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing sources, that former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he was prepared to run for president if elections were held in the autumn.

In March, Zelenskyy said that presidential elections in Ukraine would not take place during any pause in hostilities and could only be held after the conflict ends. In May, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that the country’s presidential election could take place in spring 2027.