Zelenskyy made the remarks on Sunday while responding to calls for wartime elections, following a proposal by former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov to hold a vote despite the ongoing conflict.
He said elections at this stage could have serious consequences for national unity.
“I believe that if we want to destroy the country, we can continue moving toward elections under these conditions of war,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian law prohibits the holding of elections while the country is under martial law. Analysts have also raised concerns about security, as well as the challenge of allowing millions of Ukrainians living abroad or in Russian-controlled territories to participate in a credible vote.
Zelenskyy said that while some Ukrainians may want political change, elections should be organised after the war has ended.
A survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that 57% of Ukrainians support holding elections after the war.
The Ukrainian president said an election could become a major challenge for a country that is not yet prepared for it.
“Elections now are like a huge flood for the state that could divide Ukraine. That is why my strategy is to lead the country until the end of the war and preserve an independent and sovereign Ukraine,” he said.
