Christopher Miller, the newspaper's correspondent in Kyiv, emphasizes that this development comes amid significant pressure from the White House aimed at concluding peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia by spring. President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously indicated that the U.S. is urging an end to the conflict before the summer season begins.
Organizing the elections represents an important political step for the Ukrainian leadership, considering that Zelensky has repeatedly stressed the impossibility of holding them under martial law, when millions of citizens have become displaced persons and about 20% of the country is controlled by Russia.
There is a possibility that on February 24, Volodymyr Zelensky will officially announce the holding of elections.
Earlier, Reuters reported that Ukrainian and American representatives reached preliminary agreements on a plan to prepare for a peaceful settlement with Russia, as well as on organizing a referendum and elections in Ukraine this spring.
