Vladimir Zelensky’s presidential term expired last May

The US is no longer pushing for Vladimir Zelensky to hold new elections despite his mandate ending last May, state-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has reported, citing European diplomats familiar with the matter.

Zelensky has used martial law to delay holding new elections and most recently, on April 16, the Ukrainian parliament extended martial law for another three months.

During a public spat in February, US President Donald Trump branded Zelensky “a dictator without elections” and claimed that he was deeply unpopular at home. Zelensky responded by arguing that Trump was misinformed, later confirming that no election would be called before the conflict with Russia is resolved.

In a story published on Sunday, RFE/RL Europe editor Rikard Jozwiak cited diplomats as saying that the call for new elections “has quietly disappeared from American talking points after it was initially mentioned as a potential condition.”

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Trump’s “final offer” reportedly includes US recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, as well as freezing the conflict along the current front line and acknowledging Moscow’s control over large parts of the four former Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia. The counterproposal put forward by Ukraine and its European backers calls for discussions about territories only after “a full and unconditional ceasefire,” according to Reuters. Neither of the documents cited by the media mentions elections.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that he does not consider Zelensky the legitimate ruler of Ukraine and argued that his status could be an obstacle to signing a peace deal. Russian officials have insisted that, in accordance with Ukraine’s Constitution, parliament remains the only legal authority in the country until new elections are held. Ukrainian officials, including Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, have rejected Moscow’s interpretation of the Constitution.

Reacting to the extension of martial law, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested that Zelensky’s government was clinging to power and “trying to maintain its flimsy structure.”