Around the third anniversary of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump and others online criticized Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy because, they said, he "refused to hold elections." For example, in a Feb. 19, 2025, post on Truth Social, Trump called Zelenskyy a dictator (archived):
(Truth Social/@realDonaldTrump)
The post read (emphasis ours):
Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn't be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and "TRUMP," will never be able to settle. The United States has spent $200 Billion Dollars more than Europe, and Europe's money is guaranteed, while the United States will get nothing back. Why didn't Sleepy Joe Biden demand Equalization, in that this War is far more important to Europe than it is to us — We have a big, beautiful Ocean as separation. On top of this, Zelenskyy admits that half of the money we sent him is "MISSING." He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden "like a fiddle." A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left. In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only "TRUMP," and the Trump Administration, can do. Biden never tried, Europe has failed to bring Peace, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the "gravy train" going. I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died — And so it continues.....
The official rapid response account for the White House on X also spread the claim, with its post (archived) garnering nearly 70 million views and 10,000 shares as of this writing. Users shared Trump's post on Reddit and TikTok as well.
It is true that presidential elections in Ukraine were scheduled to take place in spring 2024 but did not happen. Further, one other national election and four local elections also failed to take place between February 2022 and February 2025.
What these claims omit, however, is that Ukraine has been under martial law since 2022, when Russia invaded the country. Ukraine's constitution — adopted in 1996 — outlined the principles of rule under martial law. Those principles were later reinforced and outlined in a law passed by Ukraine's parliamentary body, the Verkhovna Rada, in 2015 that clearly states that under martial law, the authority of elected officials cannot be terminated:
Article 10. Inadmissibility of termination of powers of state authorities and other state bodies in conditions of martial law
1. During the period of martial law, the powers of the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the National Bank of Ukraine, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Accounting Chamber, courts, prosecutor's offices, bodies carrying out operational and investigative activities, pretrial investigation, intelligence bodies and bodies whose units carry out counterintelligence activities may not be terminated.
It further states that martial law automatically cancels elections:
Article 19. Guarantees of legality in martial law
1. Under martial law, the following are prohibited:
amendment of the Constitution of Ukraine;
amendment to the Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea;
holding elections of the President of Ukraine, as well as elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and local self-government bodies;
holding all-Ukrainian and local referendums;
holding strikes, mass gatherings and rallies.
In other words, by not calling for elections and by not holding them, Zelenskyy was following the constitution and laws of his country.
Further, a poll conducted in the months before Trump's post revealed that in fact, Zelenskyy enjoyed 63% approval among Ukrainians, contradicting Trump's claim that his ratings were low. A separate survey showed that 57% of respondents trusted Zelenskyy.
Snopes published an article in 2023 explaining the effects of martial law on Ukraine elections. In 2024, we wrote about the voting methods available to Ukrainians.