"When this issue was theoretically discussed in 2023–2024, our position was that combat operations must be concluded. During wartime, we cannot guarantee full access to voting and candidacy," noted the ambassador.
Updated. Initially, the material from "Suspilne" indicated that Markarova spoke about Ukraine's readiness to discuss the elections with the U.S. president's team. However, the media later edited the news, removing that part of the text. As clarified by the Ukrainian embassy in the U.S., the ambassador meant that Ukraine is willing to continue explaining why conducting elections during wartime is unfeasible.
Earlier, on February 1, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, informed Reuters that if a ceasefire is declared in the war between the aggressor country Russia and Ukraine "in the coming months," the U.S. expects that parliamentary and presidential elections will be held in Ukraine by the end of 2025 conducted. In response, advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Dmytro Litvin, pointed out that if the U.S. plan is merely a ceasefire and elections, then "that is a failed plan."