Wartime elections would 'destroy' Ukraine, says Zelensky

President Volodymyr Zelensky said in remarks made public Sunday that it would be too dangerous for Ukraine to hold an election while it fights Russia, after a call by his former defence minister to organise a vote. Ukraine has suspended elections under martial law, a measure still widely supported by the population as the country focuses on fighting off the Russian invasion launched in 2022. The Ukrainian leader – a former TV comedian elected in 2019 – has previously faced calls both from Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump to stage a vote, even as Moscow rains down missiles and drones across the country on a daily basis. "I believe that in a war like this, elections as such are a huge risk. Elections right now are a tsunami for the country that will split Ukraine," Zelensky said. "If we want to destroy the country, then we can move in the direction of elections during these times of war," added the 48-year-old. Read moreUkraine's sacked defence minister Fedorov calls for wartime presidential elections He made the comments Saturday in a briefing with journalists including AFP. Kyiv has been engulfed in a political crisis over the summer, triggered when Ze...