The Ukrainian president, , intends to announce a plan to hold presidential elections and a referendum on the possible peace agreement with Russia on February 24, the day that marks four years since the invasion ordered by , his counterpart in Moscow.
According to what the newspaper reported this Monday which cites Ukrainian and European officials involved in the planning, we are facing a clear unlocking of one of the problems that the country has been facing since the Federation launched its “special military operation”: what is happening with the voice of the citizens.
Zelensky’s mandate was completed in May 2025, after five years in office, but the president decided that the moment was not appropriate for an appointment with the polls, with a good part of his young men displaced on the front and with millions of Ukrainians as refugees, inside and outside their borders. Added to this is the control of the territory itself: it is estimated that Russia has occupied approximately 20% of the country.
The agency already reported last week that, under the framework being discussed by American and Ukrainian negotiators, any peace agreement would be subject to consultation among Ukrainian voters, who would vote simultaneously in national elections. He added that authorities had discussed the possibility of national elections and a referendum being held in May.
Deficiencies in defense
As that moment arrives, Zelensky met with senior military officials on Tuesday to address deficiencies in air defense, counter continued Russian attacks and protect civilians. “There are many changes taking place in air defense,” the president declared in his evening speech, as the full-scale Russian invasion approaches its fourth year.
“In some regions, the way equipment, interceptors, mobile fire units and the entire small air defense component operate is being practically completely rebuilt,” he says.
The Ukrainian president claimed to have had long talks with the commander-in-chief of the army, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the chief of the General Staff, Andrii Hnatov, and the Minister of Defense, Mykhailo Fedorov, about the upcoming changes.
“There will be changes,” he said.
kyiv has repeatedly urged its Western allies to supply more weapons to bolster air defenses against missile and drone attacks.
Power restoration in progress
Zelensky also referred to Russian airstrikes against energy infrastructure, with outages recorded in kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava and parts of the Odessa regions amid freezing night temperatures.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said teams were working to restore power and heating following recent Russian attacks.
The former actor again criticized local authorities, stating that officials would be held personally responsible for failures to manage the aftermath of the attacks. “We are monitoring at all levels and each person will be held personally responsible,” he declared.
