“Elect a New President”: Who Decides for Ukraine — and Why

The former — and possibly future — U.S. president has a habit of speaking first and thinking later. This time he decided that Ukraine needs a new leader. No context, no acknowledgment that the country is fighting a full-scale war, that millions are displaced, that the front line is still active, that the Constitution forbids elections during martial law.

The Kremlin’s reaction was predictable: they called it “historic.” That might be the only thing Putin and Trump agree on — both want a different president in Ukraine. For different reasons, but the goal is the same: to impose someone else’s will on Ukrainians.

Now the real question: where is the Ukrainian government’s response? Where is the angry statement about interference in internal affairs? Where is the diplomatic protest? Instead, we hear silence or polite phrases like “we appreciate the support, but elections will be held after the war.”

That is not a response. That is swallowing an insult with a forced smile. As if Ukraine is a junior partner with no right to its own opinion.

Let’s be clear. Article 103 of the Ukrainian Constitution states that presidential elections are held on the last Sunday of March of the fifth year of the term. But martial law is a constitutional ground to postpone them. This is not a loophole for the incumbent — it is a deliberate choice by a society at war. Elections are physically, technically, and legally impossible. Millions are abroad, hundreds of thousands are on the front line, occupied territories cannot vote, and shelling never stops.

A Rating Group poll from October 3–5 shows 71% of Ukrainians favor elections only after the war ends. It is not the government afraid to lose its seat. It is the people saying: victory first, democracy second. And that is perfectly normal.

But Trump does not seem to care. He sees Ukraine as a project that needs to be “fixed.” And if that means installing a different president — so be it. Democracy, American-style: we give you weapons, you give us a new president. Very convenient.

The irony is even sharper given that the U.S. Congress is preparing a bill to block a diesel deal with Ukraine. So Washington wants to control not only who sits in the presidential office but also what fuel Ukraine buys. Sovereignty? Never heard of it.

Here is the bottom line. Ukraine is not a protectorate. We do not vote on orders from across the ocean. We do not elect a president because Trump or Putin wants it. We will hold elections when we decide — when the war is over, when people return, when polling stations can open across the entire territory.

The answer to Trump must be firm and public. Not “thank you for the advice” but “do not interfere.” Not “we will consider it” but “this is our internal choice.” If the government cannot deliver that message, it does not really believe in the sovereignty it claims to defend.

But we believe. And 71% of Ukrainians believe too. So elections will happen. After victory. Without hints from the White House.