Moscow has repeatedly pressed Kyiv to hold elections, calling Zelenskyy an illegitimate leader (Photo: AP).
Russia on Monday said it would cease fire for a day so that Ukraine could hold presidential elections, rejecting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's offer for a 60-day truce.Moscow said it wanted an overall peace deal instead.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin would be ready to order the military not to attack Ukraine during its presidential election day. Reuters reported, quoting Peskov's statements from RIA."In the Kremlin, both President Putin and officials at other levels have repeatedly stated that we do not want a ceasefire," said Peskov. "We want long-term peace and are prepared to do everything possible to achieve it."Moscow has repeatedly pressed Kyiv to hold elections, calling Zelenskyy an illegitimate leader.On Sunday, Zelenskyy said that he would organise elections in Ukraine if Russian President Putin agreed to a 60-day ceasefire, responding to criticism from US President Donald Trump over his leadership."Please tell Putin, give us two months, 60 days of total ceasefire, 60 days, and we will organise elections," Zelenskyy told the ABC.
Earlier, Trump had criticised Zelenskyy for targeting Russian oil refineries, a day after the United States temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian fuel that were intended to deprive Moscow of revenue to fund its war in Ukraine."I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president," Trump told reporters at the White House.Responding to the remarks, Zelenskyy said the choice of Ukraine's leader rested with its people and noted that Putin would also like to see a change in the country's leadership.Zelenskyy was elected as the President in 2019, meant to serve a standard five-year term which should have ended in 2024. However, he remains in office beyond term because martial law, enacted due to Russia's full-scale invasion, legally suspends wartime presidential elections.