Putin Will Hold Fire for Just One Day to Let Ukraine Hold Elections, Kremlin Says

The Kremlin has rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal for a 60-day ceasefire to allow Ukraine to hold presidential elections.

On October 12, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin would be willing to order Russian forces not to strike Ukraine on election day if Kyiv proceeded with the vote, according to Russian media reports.

Peskov emphasized that the proposed suspension would apply specifically to election day, rather than the two-month period Ukraine requested to organize voting under wartime conditions.

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The Kremlin spokesperson also accused Kyiv of seeking a longer ceasefire to rebuild its military capabilities rather than prepare for elections. He claimed Ukrainian authorities had no genuine intention of holding a vote. Separately, Reuters reported on October 12 that Peskov reiterated Moscow’s opposition to temporary ceasefires, arguing that Russia was pursuing a long-term peace agreement instead.

The one-day proposal comes after Zelenskyy said on October 11 that Ukraine would be ready to organize presidential elections if Russia agreed to a complete 60-day ceasefire. “Please tell Putin, give us two months, 60 days of total ceasefire, 60 days, and we will organise elections,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with ABC’s This Week, as quoted by Reuters.

Zelenskyy has maintained that elections cannot be conducted safely while Russian attacks continue, citing the need to protect voters, polling stations, and the electoral process.

The debate over Ukraine’s presidential elections intensified after US President Donald Trump suggested on October 10 that the country needed a new leader capable of reaching a peace agreement with Russia.

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