Zelensky ‘planning Ukraine election and peace deal referendum in spring’ after US pressure

Volodymyr Zelensky is planning to announce a spring election and a referendum on a peace deal to end the war with Russia, according to reports.

The Ukrainian president, under mounting pressure from the White House, is set to announce the election plans on 24 February, according to the Financial Times.

It comes after the United States issued a June deadline for Ukraine and Russia to finalise a peace agreement in a bid to end the four-year war.

On Friday, Zelensky said: "The Americans are proposing the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer and will probably put pressure on the parties precisely according to this schedule."

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“The Americans are in a hurry,” a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Russia continues to insist on Ukraine's withdrawal from the fiercely contested Donbas region, a condition Kyiv has unequivocally rejected.

However, the European Union says it is working on its own “sustainable peace plan” that could help force Russia’s hand and bring the war in Ukraine to an end.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she was "very grateful" for US diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine but that Ukraine's European allies would have to agree to any future peace agreement.

“Everybody around the table, including the Russians and the Americans, needs to understand that you need Europeans to agree (to have a peace deal)," Ms Kallas said, speaking to reporters in Brussels.

“And for that, we also have conditions. And we should put the conditions, not on Ukrainians, who have been already pressured a lot, but on the Russians.”

The foreign policy chief added that Europe needs to push for concessions from Moscow, such as limiting its armed forces.

"If they put out the maximalist demands, we should also put out the maximalist demands,” she said.

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It comes as Mr Zelensky assembled his top military officers on Tuesday to discuss shortcomings in air defence and other aspects of protecting civilians from Russian attacks.

Speaking in his nightly video address, the president assessed how local authorities in Ukraine's cities were tackling the aftermath of massive Russian attacks, particularly in ensuring high-rise apartments had power and heating.

Mr Zelensky said he held long discussions with the military's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the chief of the general staff, Andrii Hnatov, and defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

"Many changes are happening right now in the work of air defence. In some regions, the way teams operate, interceptors, mobile fire units, the entire small air defence component is being practically rebuilt completely," he said.

"But this is only one element of defence that requires changes. Changes will happen.”