British News Agency

Trump told Politico reporter Dasha Burns: “I think the time has come. I think it’s an important time to hold an election. They’re using the war as an excuse not to hold one, but I believe the Ukrainian people should have that option.”

Under the Ukrainian constitution, elections cannot be held during the period of martial law imposed by President Volodymyr Zelensky in response to the February 2022 Russian invasion. Under normal circumstances, the terms of Zelensky and the Ukrainian parliament would have ended in May and August 2024.

Discussing the possibility of wartime elections, Trump said: “Maybe Zelensky would win. I don’t know who would win. But they haven’t held an election in a long time. You know, they talk about democracy — but there comes a point when it’s no longer democracy.”

The U.S. President also responded to comments made over the weekend by his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., suggesting the commander-in-chief might be willing to withdraw from Ukraine: “That’s not true. But it’s not entirely untrue either.”

Trump continued: “We have to play, and they have to play. If they don’t read the deals or the potential agreements, things won’t be easy with Russia because Russia has the advantage. And it always has. They’re much bigger. In that sense they’re much stronger.”

Trump said: “I have great appreciation for the people of Ukraine and the Ukrainian military — for their courage, their fight, everything they’re doing. But, you know, at some point size usually wins.”

Trump’s remarks came as his administration is making a renewed effort to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. On Sunday, he told reporters that Zelensky had not yet read the latest peace framework prepared by U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators.

On Monday he told Politico: “It would be good if he read it. You know, a lot of people are dying. So it would be really good if he read it. The people liked the proposal a lot — they really liked it. His aides, his top officials liked it too, but they said he hasn’t read it yet. I think he should take the time to read it.”