Amid pressure from U.S., Zelenskyy says he's open to an election that might be impossible

When Volodymyr Zelenskyy last asked Ukrainians to vote for him, he was a political newbie , a former comedian eager to change his country and talk with Russia to end a protracted conflict.

Six years later, Zelenskyy — transformed by the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion — is facing sudden pressure from the United States to hold a new election , even as he navigates Washington’s push for a peace deal that could threaten Ukraine’s future.

President Donald Trump, frustrated by a lack of progress in peace talks, criticized Zelenskyy this week for “using war not to hold an election.” It’s a narrative that Moscow has exploited to label Zelenskyy’s government “illegitimate” and thus impossible to negotiate with.

Yet an election would currently be illegal, since Ukrainian law prohibit