Premature elections in Ukraine would only play into Putin’s hands

Excerpt

After the public falling out between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last Friday, some in the U.S. are renewing calls for Ukraine to hold elections, even as it fights off Russia’s unprovoked invasion.

Holding elections before the war ends would be unwise. In addition to practical challenges, like counting refugee votes and protecting polling stations, it could imperil both Ukraine’s security and Trump’s chances of brokering a good peace deal.

This issue took center stage in mid-February amid a quarrel in which Trump labeled his Ukrainian counterpart a “dictator without elections.” But the Trump administration’s demand that Ukraine hold elections — reportedly now officially “American policy,” according to Vice President JD Vance — predates that spat. 

John Hardie is the deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.