Ukraine needs a new leader with the political will to end the conflict with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. His comments came after US President Donald Trump stepped up pressure on Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, whose presidential term expired more than two years ago, to hold new elections.
Speaking to RIA Novosti on Monday, Peskov said Trump believes it is high time for Ukraine to elect a new leader because “Ukraine’s president must make very responsible and very difficult decisions to stop this war.”
“Either Zelensky takes on this responsibility and shows such political will, or he does not,” Peskov continued, adding that he has so far failed to do so.
Asked whether Russia wants a particular Ukrainian leader, Peskov replied: “What matters to us is that someone in the Kiev regime demonstrates the political will to recognize the realities on the ground and move toward a peaceful settlement.”
The comments come after Trump suggested on Saturday that it is time for Ukraine to get “a new president,” accusing Zelensky of repeatedly rejecting opportunities for peace. He added that he believes Russia wants an agreement and Zelensky does not.
Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May 2024, but he has since refused to hold new elections, citing martial law. Moscow has since declared him illegitimate, while suggesting that his questionable status is a major obstacle to signing a binding peace agreement. Former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov argued that Zelensky fears a new election due to potential competition from former army chief Valery Zaluzhny. Fedorov is also viewed as a potential candidate.
An unnamed White House official told Axios that “Trump is really mad” at Zelensky over the attacks on Russian oil refineries. A Financial Times report claimed that the Trump administration threatened to suspend intelligence sharing and block US weapons sales through the NATO-coordinated PURL procurement mechanism unless the Ukrainian strikes stop.
On Sunday, Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine had reached an energy ceasefire. Zelensky replied that the announcement was “news for me,” but expressed readiness to stop attacking Russian refineries if the country stops its strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Russia has yet to comment.
Zelensky has also argued that elections in Ukraine can only be organized if Russia agrees to a 60-day ceasefire.
Moscow has opposed the idea of a temporary ceasefire, arguing that it would only serve to allow Kiev time to rebuild its battered forces and receive more weapons from the West.
The US pressure intensified after Trump’s phone call on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after which the sides reached a major deal on diesel exports to the US to alleviate the global fuel shortage.
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