Ukrainehas started preparing for presidential elections and a referendum on a peace deal withRussia, according to reports. The votes would be held alongside one another by May 15, following pressure from theTrumpadministration.
TheUSreportedly warnedUkraineto hold the votes by this date or risk losing proposed US security guarantees which have been a crucial part of peace negotiations. It comes days after Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyconfirmed the US had given Ukraine andRussiaa June deadline to end the war, adding if this is not met then the Trump administration will likely put pressure on both sides to meet it. He said: “The Americans are proposing the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer and will probably put pressure on the parties precisely according to this schedule.
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“And they say that they want to do everything by June. And they will do everything to end the war. And they want a clear schedule of all events.”
Mr Zelensky is looking to announce the plan for the elections and referendum on February 24, according to theFinancial Times, citing Ukrainian and European officials, as well as others briefed on the matter.
The date is significant as it represents the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The conflict in Ukraine is the biggest inEuropesince theSecond World War.
Russian forces are believed to have suffered 1.2 million casualties, including 235,000 killed, while Mr Zelensky recently said 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died.
Neither Mr Zelensky’s office nor the US Embassy in Kyiv have commented on the reports.
Source: Daily Express :: World Feed
