MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Ukraine's president has an answer to pressure from the Trump administration.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The U.S. wants Ukraine to surrender territory as part of a peace deal with Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says for that to happen, the Ukrainian people would have to speak through a referendum. In a few minutes, we'll talk through the situation with Alexander Vindman, a former top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council. First, let's get the view from the ground.
MARTIN: NPR's Joanna Kakissis is in Kyiv, as she has been through much of this war. And she's with us now. Good morning, Joanna.
JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE: Good morning, Michel.
MARTIN: Why would Zelenskyy talk about elections now?
KAKISSIS: Well, he is responding to pressure from President Trump, and he's also trying to work with Europeans. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday that they are proposing a ceasefire that would be backed by strong security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe. He also said that Ukraine is willing to discuss territorial concessions, but that Trump must understand that the final decision is up to Ukrainians. Here's Merz.
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CHANCELLOR FRIEDRICH MERZ: (Speaking German).
KAKISSIS: He's saying it would be a mistake to force the Ukrainian president into a peace that his people will not accept after four years of suffering and death.
MARTIN: And then Zelenskyy says there would have to be a vote. Why say that?
KAKISSIS: Well, Zelenskyy has been walking something of a tight rope, but he is engaging with even the most painful proposals by the Trump administration to show that Ukraine is negotiating in good faith. At the same time, he knows giving up territory has always been a red line for Ukrainians.
MARTIN: You know, and this is interesting because Trump has been saying that Ukraine should hold elections. How does that fit in?
KAKISSIS: Well, Trump said recently that Zelenskyy's government is using the war to avoid elections. And this echoes what the Kremlin has been saying, which they say Zelenskyy is not a legitimate president because his term expired last year. But there is also a good reason that there have not been Ukrainian elections. Ukraine is under martial law because of Russia's invasion, and Ukraine's constitution forbids holding elections during wartime. Nevertheless, Zelenskyy said he is examining the possibility of elections over the next 90 days or even a referendum on giving up parts of Eastern Ukraine in exchange for ending the war.
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PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: He's saying, "if this is something our key partner in Washington wants, we have to look into it."
MARTIN: So could elections in Ukraine be imminent?
KAKISSIS: Well, there are many obstacles to that. Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze - she's a member of Ukraine's parliament. She told me about a legal obstacle.
IVANNA KLYMPUSH-TSINTSADZE: During the martial law, it is prohibited to change the constitution. It's just, like, purely stated in the law and in the constitution.
KAKISSIS: And then she says there are huge logistical challenges, like how 4 million Ukrainian refugees could vote or how soldiers on the frontline could vote.
MARTIN: Right. To that end, imagine security is a major issue.
KAKISSIS: Yes, absolutely. Public opinion polls show. Most Ukrainians think holding elections now is actually a terrible idea. Yulia Hryp (ph), who works in customer service here in Kyiv, she told us Russia could attack voting precincts.
YULIA HRYP: It's very possible that they attack because they attack us every day. We'd have to gather many people in one place. It's dangerous.
KAKISSIS: Now, Zelenskyy says elections could only happen during a ceasefire and with security guarantees from the West. And, Michel, if elections were held soon - sometime soon - public opinion polls showed that Zelenskyy would still come in first.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Joanna Kakissis in Kyiv. Joanna, thank you so much.
KAKISSIS: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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