KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday that elections could be held in the war-hit country if partners shared the cost.
The development comes at a time when US Senators visited Ukraine on August 23 and besides lauding its efforts in war against Russia, they called upon Kyiv to hold the polls even during wartime.
Western media reported that Ukraine is under martial law which expires on November 15 thus elections cannot be held. The date of Martial Law is expected to be extended for 90 days.
The normal date of the parliamentary election in Ukraine is October while presidential elections will be held in March 2024.
Zelensky, in a television interview, has said that the expenditure of election in peacetime is US$135 million but more money is needed in wartime which is only possible if the US and Europe provide financial assistance.
Zelensky said he told visiting Senator Lindsey Graham that election observers should have to go to the military trenches so that the world could know the legitimacy of the elections.
He said that those who are supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia should also support the country to hold free and fair elections. He said his country is more focused on war than on holding elections.
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At least 500,000 people from both Russia and Ukraine have lost their lives and tens of thousands are injured in the 18-month war.
Earlier Denmark and the Netherlands had agreed to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets that could be handed over to Kyiv by the end of the year.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said the procurement of F-16s by Ukraine as a potential “nuclear” threat due to their ability to carry atomic weapons.
Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu earlier had said that the resources of Ukraine’s armed forces had been almost exhausted.
The situation remains highly delicate in the area, with both sides engaged in military actions. The ongoing developments underline the complex geopolitical landscape in the region.
