Berlin Opposes Wartime Elections in Ukraine

A German minister said Monday that Berlin opposes wartime elections in Ukraine.

German Minister of State for Europe Gunther Krichbaum told journalists before an EU Council on Foreign Affairs meeting that elections should be held when “fair elections are truly possible,” according to Ukrainian state media Ukrinform.

He said it’s not possible when parts of Ukraine remain under Russian occupation.

“Elections can take place when fair elections are truly possible throughout the territory of Ukraine, because we will never recognize the occupation of parts of Ukraine – an occupation that is illegal under international law,” Krichbaum said.

“Until fair and free elections, above all free elections, are guaranteed, we for our part do not share this demand,” he added.

The comments followed US President Donald Trump’s Saturday statement calling for President Volodymyr Zelensky’s removal, remarks the Kremlin backed on Monday by claiming Zelensky is responsible for “very difficult decisions” to stop Russia’s invasion.

Zelensky responded by saying that Ukraine can hold elections within 60 days if the parties can guarantee a full, unconditional ceasefire for 60 days, though previous reports suggest many hurdles remain.

Krichbaum also reiterated Berlin’s refusal to recognize Russian elections held in occupied Ukraine.

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“They were not free, they were not fair, and therefore, of course, they could never be recognized by us,” he said.

Moscow staged a referendum to incorporate occupied Crimea into Russian territory in 2014. After the full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia staged similar elections in the occupied parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the legitimacy of which was rejected by Kyiv and its allies.