KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview published on Thursday that he would be ready to step down after the war with Russia is over.
"If we finish the war with the Russians, yes, I am ready not to go (for elections) because it's not my goal, elections," Zelenskiy told the Axios website in a video interview.
"I wanted very much, in a very difficult period of time, to be with my country, help my country. My goal is to finish the war."
Zelenskiy said he would ask Ukraine's parliament to organise elections if a ceasefire was reached.
ZELENSKIY MAINTAINS HIGH LEVEL OF PUBLIC TRUST
A presidential election due in 2024 was suspended in line with martial law, introduced in Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Zelenskiy, a former comedian, was elected in 2019.
Russia has repeatedly questioned Zelenskiy's legitimacy as a leader as a result.
During more than three-and-a-half years of war, Zelenskiy has maintained a high level of public trust. He is constantly in the public eye via daily messages on social media, visits to soldiers near the front line and international diplomacy.
A poll conducted at the start of September by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology showed that about 59% of Ukrainians trusted Zelenskiy. About 34% of those polled did not trust him.
UKRAINE SEEKING LONG-RANGE WEAPONS
Zelenskiy was in the United States this week where he participated in the U.N. General Assembly and met U.S. President Donald Trump. Zelenskiy said Kyiv was seeking new long-range weapons from the United States.
He told Axios that if Moscow refused to end the war, Russian officials working in the Kremlin should know where the nearest bomb shelter is.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and known for provocative statements, responded to Zelenskiy's taunt.
"Russia could use weapons that a bomb shelter wouldn't protect against. And the Americans should remember this," he wrote on social media.
As part of its war, Russia launches regular attacks on Ukraine, often involving hundreds of drones and missiles. Ukraine launches long-range drones of its own targeting military assets and energy infrastructure, though on a smaller scale.
(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru and Yuliia Dysa in Kyiv; additional reporting by Moscow bureau; Writing by Olena Harmash; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Aidan Lewis)
