ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his readiness to leave office after the end of the over three-and-a-half-year Russia-Ukraine war.

“If we will finish war with Russians, yes, I’m ready not to go for the second term, because it’s not my goal, elections,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with the US-based Axios news website, part of which was published Thursday.

“I wanted very much, in a very difficult period of time, to be with my country, help my country. My goal is to finish the war,” Zelenskyy said, adding that he would push for a presidential election once Russia agrees to a ceasefire.

The report also noted that Zelenskyy, during a meeting with US President Donald Trump in New York on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, told the US president that he can use the ceasefire period to “give this signal” regarding the holding of elections to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament.

Zelenskyy also expressed his understanding of people potentially wanting “a leader with a new mandate,” adding that he believes such a vote can be held despite security concerns.

Last month, Zelenskyy at a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office said Kyiv is ready to hold elections “if safety is guaranteed.”

Zelenskyy's five-year presidential term was to end in May 2024. However, under Ukrainian legislation, elections cannot be held under martial law, which was declared following the start of the war in February 2022.

On Feb. 25, the Verkhovna Rada overwhelmingly passed a resolution affirming the legitimacy and constitutionality of Zelenskyy’s continued leadership in Ukraine during wartime.

In the interview, Zelenskyy also spoke about long-range weapons, saying if Ukraine gets additional long-range weaponry from the US, "we will use it."

He said Ukraine would not bomb civilians because they are "not terrorists," but warned Kremlin officials they "have to know where their bomb shelters are."

"If they will not stop the war, they will need it in any case," he added.