Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated he is prepared to leave office once hostilities with Russia come to a halt. Speaking in an interview with Axios on September 25, Zelensky stated that he would call an election in the event of a temporary truce with Moscow, and added that he has no intention of running again. His remarks come at a time when concerns about his legitimacy and accusations of authoritarian drift are gaining traction both inside Ukraine and internationally.

The statement represents a dramatic shift in tone for Zelensky, who has faced mounting criticism for continuing to govern even though his official presidential term expired in May 2024. While martial law has allowed him to postpone elections, opponents claim he is using wartime powers to consolidate control, stifle dissent, and weaken democratic institutions.

Under normal circumstances, Ukraine’s presidential elections should have taken place earlier this year. Instead, Zelensky has remained in power by invoking martial law, which suspends elections while the war continues. His government argues that holding a national vote during ongoing hostilities would be both logistically impossible and dangerously destabilizing.

Nevertheless, critics insist that Zelensky’s continued rule without a fresh mandate is eroding the very democratic foundations Ukraine claims to defend. Opposition voices at home and abroad note that the president’s grip on power, justified under wartime necessity, has increasingly resembled authoritarian governance.

The Kremlin has seized upon this political limbo, arguing that any agreements made by Kyiv under Zelensky would lack legal validity since his mandate........

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