Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of US President Donald Trump, said that "there will be elections in Ukraine", adding that the leadership of the war-torn country "agreed to it".
Special Envoy of the US President Donald Trump Steve Witkoff stated that Kyiv "agreed" to organize presidential elections in Ukraine, but provided no details or evidence to support his claim.
In an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that aired Friday, Witkoff said "there will be elections in Ukraine," adding that the war-torn country's leadership "agreed to it," Politico reported.
The Trump administration is stepping up pressure to force Ukraine to hold wartime elections, which the country is constitutionally prohibited from doing.
The US president has described his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, as a "dictator without an election" - a claim consistent with Russian-backed narratives that have sought to undermine the legitimacy of the Ukrainian leadership.
Critics say a war election would expose Ukraine to Russian destabilization tactics and would be a logistical nightmare in a country defending itself against an all-out invasion.
Ukraine cannot be a member of NATO
In the same interview, Witkoff referred to Ukraine's potential entry into the NATO military alliance, which Russia strongly opposes.
"If there is a peace agreement, Ukraine cannot be a member of NATO. I think that is generally accepted," Witkoff said.
However, the US envoy suggested that Ukraine could still benefit from similar security guarantees offered to NATO states under Article 5 of the collective defense clause, which obliges its members to come to each other's aid if one of them is attacked.
"I think that's open to discussion," Witkoff said without elaborating.
A fire broke out in places on the Adriatic coast in the area of Piska and Marušić, east of Omiš in Croatia, and the fire is spreading in the direction of houses. Extinguishing the fire is made difficult by the storm
The Israel-Iran war has grabbed the headlines, but thousands of people in Gaza are losing their lives, homes and dignity every day - without any attention. The humanitarian disaster deepens, while hostages and civilians struggle to survive, completely forgotten
The Human Rights Watch organization warns that the European Union and Great Britain are increasingly treating the Western Balkans as a "warehouse for migrants". In Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the announcement of possible deportations from Great Britain, the issues of security, camp capacity and political will to sign such agreements have been reopened.
The war between Israel and Iran enters its second week. Donald Trump is weighing whether the US should intervene militarily, European officials are negotiating with Iran's foreign minister, and Serbia is evacuating its citizens.
The European Parliament, on the initiative of right-wing parties, voted to form a working group that will examine the financing of non-governmental organizations from the European Union budget. The decision was initiated by right-wing parties
Can the students and the opposition make up for 51 votes in the repeated elections at polling station number 25 in Kosjerić? Is it an impossible mission or another attempt that changes everything
The Serbian Government elected the commander of the "White Eagles", Dragoslav Bokan, as the president of the Board of Directors of the National Theater. Why not read "Aco Serbs" instead of "Your hands are bloody"?
What will Vučić do when his second presidential term expires in 2027. The Constitution does not provide for a third. Maybe he won't go into political retirement
The archive of the weekly Vreme includes all our digital editions, since the very beginning of our work. All issues can be downloaded in PDF format, by purchasing the digital edition, or you can read all available texts from the selected issue.
See all
