MOSCOW, February 23. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky has said that he is ready to step down if it will bring peace to Ukraine.

"Yes, if it means peace for Ukraine, if you want me to vacate my office, I am ready," he told a news conference in Kiev.

At the same time, he suggested that his resignation be swapped for Ukraine’s membership in NATO Kiev has been seeking for years. "The second story: I can exchange this for NATO. If these are the conditions, immediately," he added.

The presidential election in Ukraine was to be held in March 2024 but was cancelled due to martial law. Many experts say however that the president’s term cannot be extended amid martial law, unlike the mandate of the Verkhovna Rada, or national parliament). Although Vladimir Zelensky’s office term officially expired on May 20, 2024.

As Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said Russia needs to know who in Kiev it can expect to sign legally binding documents now that Zelensky is no longer a legitimate leader. Given the illegitimacy of the current authorities, any agreements signed with them would be null and void.

On February 18, US President Donald Trump said that Zelensky’s approval rating had dropped to 4% and if Kiev wants a seat at the negotiating table, it must hold elections. In response, Zelensky said that Trump had been misled by Russia’s disinformation. After that, Trump once again pointed to Zelensky’s low ratings and called him a dictator for his refusal to hold elections.