Zelenskyy rejects wartime election call from dismissed defence minister

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected calls for elections while the war with Russia continues. He said a wartime vote would split and destroy Ukraine. Elections have been suspended since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022, when martial law was introduced. Zelenskyy's presidential term ended in May 2024, but he has stayed in power under these rules. The call for elections came from Mykhailo Fedorov, a well-known political figure who was removed as defence minister about a month earlier. No major Ukrainian politician had made this demand since the invasion started. Zelenskyy said he would only support elections if allies created conditions to make them safe and fair. At the same time, Russia was reportedly building up ballistic missiles and planning to recruit 300,000 more soldiers.