The move comes as U.S. President Donald Trump intensifies calls for Ukraine to hold elections, prompting renewed debate in Kyiv over wartime voting.
Ukraine has taken one of its most concrete steps yet toward restoring its electoral system after nearly three years of war, as pressure mounts—particularly from U.S. President Donald Trump—for the country to hold elections.
Ukraine’s Central Election Commission said on Dec. 23 that it has fully restored the State Register of Voters, reopening a system that was shut down the day Russia launched its invasion in February 2022. The registry is the backbone of Ukraine’s voting system and is required for any national election to take place.
“Updating the voter register is one of the basic conditions for holding any election,” Ukrainian lawmaker David Arakhamia said in a Dec. 23 post on Telegram. “The war has significantly affected demographic indicators, and this must be reflected in the register. There is a great deal of work to be done in this direction.”
The voter registry was suspended in 2022 to protect personal data and prevent cyberattacks while Russia targeted Ukrainian state systems. The Central Election Commission said it spent the past three years rebuilding and securing the database so it could safely interact with voters again.
Election Debate Intensifies
The restoration of the voter register comes as Arakhamia said Ukrainian lawmakers are in the midst of forming a working group to explore whether elections could be held under martial law, marking another major step toward addressing Trump’s repeated demands that Ukraine hold elections.
“I think it’s an important time to hold an election,” Trump told Politico in a Dec. 9 interview. “They’re using war not to hold an election, but I would think the Ukrainian people should have that choice … You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”
Responding to Trump’s remarks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signaled openness to holding a vote—provided security can be guaranteed.
“I’m ready for elections, and moreover, I ask … that the U.S. help me, maybe together with European colleagues, to ensure the security of an election,” Zelenskyy said on Dec. 9. “And then in the next 60–90 days, Ukraine will be ready to hold an election.”
Ukrainian law forbids holding elections under martial law, which has been extended 17 times since Russia’s invasion began nearly four years ago.
Zelenskyy has asked lawmakers to consider changing the law to allow wartime elections, with the formation of the working group marking a significant shift in thinking from when the Ukrainian parliament in February passed a resolution affirming that elections should not be held during martial law.
By Tom Ozimek
