Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has responded with sharp criticism to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands for new elections in his country.
“It is not for Putin to decide when and in what format elections take place in Ukraine,” he said at a press conference in Kiev during a visit by Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. He promised that Putin would not be able to influence a possible vote on the future Ukrainian president.
The criticism was triggered by Putin’s statements on Friday at his annual press conference, where he not only once again demanded presidential elections in the neighbouring country he invaded and criticized the current Ukrainian leadership as illegitimate, but also insisted that Ukrainians living in Russia should participate in the vote.
Putin said there are between 5 million and 10 million Ukrainians in Russia. There are no diplomatic missions of Ukraine in Russia, where citizens abroad would normally vote. Putin’s election official, Ella Pamfilova, said that the Russian authorities could organize the voting there.
No elections in Russia and occupied territories
“Ukrainian citizens who are in Ukraine in the Ukrainian-controlled areas will vote,” Zelensky said in response.
Only there could honest and transparent elections be guaranteed, he said. In addition, there is the usual practice of voting in foreign missions.
“In the areas not controlled by Ukraine, no elections can be held because it is clear that they would be conducted there as Russia always does,” he said, referring to international criticism of the questionable fairness of elections in Russia.
Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, speaks after the first working session at the EU summit. The main topic is the question of whether assets of the Russian central bank frozen in the EU can be used to support Ukraine in future. Michael Kappeler/dpa
