Ukraine's parliament extends martial law until August

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Courtesy: Reuters photo)

Ukraine's parliament has extended martial law until August, lawmakers said, delaying the timing of new elections that the United States and Russia have been pushing for.

As the war with Russia rages on, an overwhelming majority of 357 deputies on Wednesday supported the extension. It allows the country to continue mobilizing troops and suspends the election cycle.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has faced pressure to hold elections from US President Donald Trump, who called him a dictator - criticism that prompted Ukrainians to rally around Zelenskyy and boosted his approval ratings.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly questioned Zelenskyy's legitimacy after his term ended in 2024. But in line with the Ukrainian legislation, elections are impossible during martial law.

As peace talks led by the Trump administration created hopes for a potential ceasefire and eventual elections, some Ukrainian opposition politicians started criticizing Zelenskyy more openly.

Petro Poroshenko, a former president and leader of the largest opposition party, "European Solidarity", said there was no doubt martial law should be extended, especially after deadly Russian strikes on Sumy and Kryvyi Rih this month.

But he accused Zelenskyy of attempting to strengthen his powers during martial law.

"I want to stress that we should recognise the obvious - the government has started to abuse martial law, using it not only to defend the country, but to build an authoritarian regime," Poroshenko said during parliamentary debates on Tuesday.

However Poroshenko's party overwhelmingly supported the extension of martial law, with only one lawmaker from the party voting against it.