WASHINGTON, August 18. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky said that he is open to holding elections in Ukraine, but believes that safe conditions must first be ensured for their organization.

"We are open to [the possibility of] elections," he said, responding to a reporter’s question during a meeting with US President Donald Trump. However, he added that a ceasefire and other security measures must first be ensured.

In response, Trump joked that the US might follow Ukraine’s example and not hold elections for three and a half years if it were engaged in military operations.

Parliamentary and presidential elections are not held in Ukraine due to martial law. Zelensky's powers officially expired last May 20, but he is doing everything he can to stay in power, including trying to eliminate potential political opponents and delay a peace settlement.

As Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out, Zelensky's legitimacy has expired, so it is important to understand who to deal with in Kiev in order to achieve the signing of legally binding documents. The Russian leader explained that the current Ukrainian leadership is now illegitimate, which is fraught with a legal conflict that would devalue any outcome of the negotiations.