Lithuanian lawmakers call Trump’s election remarks campaign rhetoric

Lithuanian parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee leaders said US President Donald Trump’s call for Ukraine to elect a new president could be part of his political campaigning ahead of the US midterm elections. They also questioned whether elections could be held legitimately during the war, LRT reported.

Committee chairman Remigijus Motuzas said Trump’s remarks were emotional and appeared intended to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He said Ukraine, not Trump, had authority over whether to hold elections.

Motuzas also suggested the comments could be linked to the approaching US midterms. Trump may be frustrated that he has not fulfilled his promise to end the war, he said, adding that Ukraine had rejected Russia’s demands.

Deputy committee chairman Žygimantas Pavilionis, an opposition Conservative, called Trump’s statement “completely absurd and not even democratic.” He said the remarks were part of Trump’s campaign and amounted to “Russia-inspired rhetoric.”

Pavilionis said Ukraine could not easily hold elections while the country was at war, citing constitutional restrictions, Ukrainians living abroad and occupied territories. Motuzas said questions would also arise over how votes from occupied areas and Ukrainians abroad could be counted. Any decision, he said, belonged to Ukraine.

Zelensky has said Ukraine could hold elections if Russia agreed to a full 60-day ceasefire. Pavilionis said Russia responded with strikes against civilians and energy infrastructure that same night.

The US midterm elections are scheduled for November 3, 2026. Voters will elect all members of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate. Trump’s Republicans currently hold majorities in both chambers; the article said polls suggested Democrats were likely to regain control of the House, while control of the Senate remained uncertain.