Trump’s special envoy Witkoff said in an interview with Tucker Carlson that Ukraine agreed to hold presidential elections

Steve Witkoff, special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, stated that Ukrainian authorities have agreed to hold presidential elections.

He made the announcement in an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson.

“Yes, they will take place. They have already agreed to it. There will be elections in Ukraine,” Witkoff said in response to Carlson’s question.

In the same interview, Trump’s envoy said that the “biggest issue” in the Russia–Ukraine war is the status of the annexed regions — Crimea, the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), and the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

“They are Russian-speaking, and referendums were held there, where the overwhelming majority of the population said they wanted to be under Russian rule. I think this is the key issue in the conflict. So that comes first. Once that issue is resolved, we can have very, very positive conversations,” Witkoff said.

According to him, Russia “de facto controls these territories.”

“The question is whether the world will recognize them as Russian territory. Will it? Will Zelensky survive politically if he does recognize them? That is the central issue of the conflict,” he added.

Ukrainian law prohibits any elections while martial law is in effect. Throughout the war, Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly extended martial law, most recently until May 9, 2025.

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in early March that it would be difficult to remove him from office.

“It won’t be easy to replace me, because it’s not enough just to hold [new] elections. You’ll also have to stop me from running in them. And that will be a bit harder,” Zelensky said.

Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly stated they will not recognize the Russian-occupied territories as part of Russia.