"US and Ukraine Discuss New Election Schedule During Ceasefire Talks"

WSJ: "Possibility of Territorial Exchange Also Discussed"

The United States and Ukraine have reportedly discussed a new election schedule for Ukraine while negotiating a ceasefire agreement.

Negotiation delegations of the United States and Ukraine, including U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio and Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on November 30 (local time), citing senior U.S. officials, that the two countries addressed the issue of a potential new election schedule for Ukraine during their ceasefire talks. The new elections are believed to refer to the presidential election and others that have not been held since the war began in February 2022.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who took office in May 2019, saw his five-year term expire in May last year. However, due to the ongoing war, the presidential election has been postponed, and he remains in power. Russia has consistently argued that President Zelenskyy lacks legitimacy as a negotiating partner, given that his term has ended. The fate of President Zelenskyy is also directly linked to the war objectives of Vladimir Putin’s regime. Since launching its invasion under the pretext of “denazification” of Ukraine, Russia has labeled the Zelenskyy administration as a Nazi force.

The U.S. raised the issue of a new election schedule for Ukraine at a time when the Zelenskyy administration is under political pressure due to corruption allegations. Andriy Yermak, the head of the Presidential Office and one of President Zelenskyy’s closest aides, resigned on November 28, immediately after a raid by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). Yermak was initially scheduled to lead the Ukrainian delegation in the ceasefire talks with the U.S. that day, but did not attend due to his resignation. Instead, Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, led the Ukrainian delegation and negotiated with the U.S. delegation headed by Secretary of State Mark Rubio.

The WSJ also reported that the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations discussed the possibility of territorial exchanges during the talks. Russia has previously stated that it could end the war if Ukraine cedes the entire Donbas region (Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts). For Russia, gaining control of Donetsk in addition to already fully occupied Luhansk would secure a rapid invasion corridor to advance as far as western Ukraine.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.