Prof. Haran in The Guardian on elections

17 Feb. 2026

Oleksiy Haran, a professor of comparative politics at the Kyiv-Mohyla academy and research advisor to the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, said Ukrainians were overwhelmingly opposed to growing US-Russian demands that Ukraine hold presidential elections. “The country is not ready for them because there are no security conditions. It would be crazy to conduct them under martial law,” he said.

Haran recognised Trump and Putin were putting “huge pressure” on Zelenskyy to hold a poll over the next few months. He said the Kremlin was trying to “destabilise” the situation inside Ukraine and would not agree to a ceasefire. There were numerous legal and practical obstacles to holding a vote, he added, not least the question of how international observers could take part.

He said: “Doubts of the government’s legitimacy is a trick of the Kremlin, echoed unfortunately by President Trump. Political renewal is needed, but elections can only take place once the war ends and security conditions allow.”

For more, see Ukraine and Russia to meet for third round of talks as fourth anniversary of war looms