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Author’s analysis by TIME Ukraine-Israel
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“Yes, there will be elections. They have agreed to it.” These words, uttered by the US Special Representative of the President Steven Vitkoff in an interview with Tucker Carlson, sounded like a thunderbolt among the spring military lull. According to him, the Ukrainian authorities have agreed to hold presidential elections, although this has not yet been officially confirmed. But behind the scenes, something much more than just preparations for the electoral process began. A geopolitical chess game for Ukraine’s future has begun, with Russia, the United States, and Ukraine at the centre of the board.
America presses, the Kremlin waits, and Kyiv is silent
Witkoff’s interview is not just a statement. It is a signal. Washington has long hinted that elections could be a way to “reset” the conflict. In February, another US representative, Keith Kellogg, called for elections by the end of the year. At the time, this idea was dismissed by Kyiv as untimely because of the war. Now the US seems to be testing the limits of Ukrainian consent again.
But Witkoff’s words were accompanied by much louder messages. In particular, he openly repeated the Kremlin’s narrative: that Donbas, Crimea, Luhansk and other regions are “Russian-speaking”, that referendums have already taken place, and that we just need to accept reality. This is not just an official’s position. This is a bid for a new security architecture in a region where compromises can be painful.
NATO: “They’ve already realised it’s not going to happen,” says special envoy
Witkoff also made another sensation – that President Zelensky and the head of the OP, Andriy Yermak, “have actually admitted that Ukraine will not become a NATO member”. If this is true, it is not just a strategic breakdown – it is a rethinking of the very path that Ukraine has been on since 2014. But so far, there has been no comment from Kyiv.
Moscow is waiting for its game: Putin will not recognise Zelenskyy
While the United States is putting pressure on Ukraine on the one hand, Russia is acting on the other – more venomously, more subtly. Putin, who called Zelenskyy a “former head of state” on 2 February, has clearly set the stage: he will not negotiate with someone he believes has no legitimacy. This is not diplomacy. This is blackmail.
And against this backdrop are the elections. The Kremlin sees them as a chance not just to change the president. The Kremlin wants to change the narrative, to question Ukraine’s very ability to be a resisting state.
Elections as a psychological operation: The Russian front is no longer in the trenches
Russia has launched an offensive not only on the frontline. The elections in Ukraine are an information campaign, a special operation on TikTok and Telegram. “Elect our people and there will be peace”. “Europe has betrayed you”. “Your son will go to the front if you don’t vote for the right candidate.”
These are not random messages – this is a cold strategy. To create chaos. To sow doubt. To make Ukrainians vote with fear, not reason.
Pro-Russian Telegram channels are already spreading fake news about “Western conspiracies”, “mobilisation traps”, and “secret negotiations with Russia”. These are not just words. These are information bullets aimed at the heart of a nation that is tired, that wants peace but does not want betrayal.
Reason versus fear: We have to win this game
When the elections become a reality – and it could be as early as this year – Ukrainians will face a choice. And not between candidates. Between two paradigms.
The first is peace through concessions. The second is the struggle for independence.
The first is the illusion of peace. The second is the real price of freedom.
Now is not the time for thoughtless decisions. Now is the time for enlightened resistance. For critical thinking. For information hygiene. For conversations with neighbours who are “tired of war”. Because fatigue is exactly what the Kremlin is banking on.
We have no right to lose. Because this war is not just about territories. It is about the mind.
Conclusion: Don’t let yourself be split
Elections in times of war are risky. But it is even more risky not to prepare for them mentally. The US is offering a new format of compromise, while Russia is offering old scenarios under a new wrapper. But the choice is still up to Ukrainians.
We need to do more than just vote – we need to think. We must not let emotion rule our minds. We must not let fear rule the future.
Because the main question today is not “will there be elections?”
The main question is whether we will survive as a nation that thinks, not just survives.
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TIME Ukraine-Israel
Author: Marianna Nyzhnia
Date: 22 March 2025
