Kremlin rejects Zelenskyy's 60-day ceasefire proposal for Ukrainian elections

Russia rejected Volodymyr Zelenskyy's proposal for a 60-day total ceasefire to prepare Ukrainian elections on October 12, a day after the Ukrainian president offered the pause in response to Donald Trump's call for a new leader. The exchange leaves the election proposal without an agreed halt to fighting. In his [October 11 interview with ABC's This Week](https://abcnews.com/Politics/week-transcript-10-11-26-ukrainian-president-volodymyr/story?id=137165082), Zelenskyy said Ukrainians should choose their own president and proposed two months without fighting so a vote could be organized. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russia wanted a lasting peace deal rather than a temporary ceasefire, [Reuters reported](https://www.internazionale.it/ultime-notizie-reuters/2026/10/12/kremlin-rejects-ukrainian-leader-s-idea-of-a-60-day-ceasefire-says-it-wants-an-overall-peace-deal). AP separately reported that Peskov said Putin would be willing to halt strikes specifically on election day, a much shorter pause than Kyiv requested. Ukraine's wartime election ban remains an obstacle. Zelenskyy also emphasized the need to make voting safe. His proposal did not announce a polling date or explain how the legal and security arrangements would be put in place; a conditional offer is not an election schedule. The dispute followed Trump's October 9 diesel arrangement with Vladimir Putin and his October 10 criticism of Zelenskyy. Trump announced an immediate supply of more than 300,000 tons of Russian diesel, with further deliveries to follow. Zelenskyy argued that export revenue would help finance Russia's war. Trump blamed Ukrainian refinery strikes for high diesel prices; AP also pointed to energy-market disruption from the war in Iran. The election proposal is separate from Trump's October 11 announcement of an energy ceasefire. In his [October 12 Warsaw Security Forum address](https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/zvernennya-prezidenta-ukrayini-do-uchasnikiv-varshavskogo-be-106853), Zelenskyy said Ukraine supported the narrower pause but Russia had struck a Kharkiv power plant, a gas-production facility and a gas station. [AP reported](https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-energy-strikes-trump-ceasefire-6fdef6ff4d033b379c74e1d62183d078) that Peskov declined to confirm Russian agreement, saying contacts were ongoing. Video: Reuters, @Reuters, October 12. The agency's original [report includes Zelenskyy's remarks.](https://x.com/Reuters/status/2109704400646091049) For civilians, protecting power plants could help preserve electricity, heat and water as winter approaches. It would still leave other fighting outside an energy-only pause. As of this October 13 update, the sources reviewed do not establish a jointly confirmed start time, monitoring system or enforcement process. Public commitments from both sides and an observable halt to the covered attacks remain the practical tests of whether the proposed relief becomes real. ~Ukraine ~WorldNews