"I am definitely in favor of elections," Ukraine's President Zelensky said Thursday. "The most important thing is that they are held legitimately." He's presenting a position of willingness to compromise amid the increasing pressure from Trump. Is this but a ruse to buy time? 

President Trump is meanwhile pressing European leaders to force Zelensky to accept the US peace plan which hinges on major territorial concessions and a cap on Ukraine's armed forces. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the US president held a tense call with his German, French and British counterparts, where he conveyed his frustrations with Zelensky for not seriously engaging with the US proposal.

The Ukrainian government has submitted a response to Washington, but "big gaps" remain, WSJ says. This back-and-forth over what Europe-Ukraine vs. Washington finds an acceptable compromise is nothing new.

But the truly new proposal from the Ukrainian side is that it is now floating the possibility of a popular referendum on the matter.

"Territory and security guarantees remain the primary sticking points for Ukraine. Zelensky maintains that Ukraine has no legal or moral rights to cede land to Russia," WSJ lays out by way of context. "Moscow has demanded Ukrainian withdrawal from the eastern province of Donetsk, which Russia hasn’t been able to take fully by force."

Ceding territory by vote? WSJ continues...

Zelensky has long said that as president he can’t unilaterally decide the fate of Ukrainian territories, which must be approved by the Ukrainian people.

In early fall, 54% Ukrainians opposed ceding land, even if it meant continuing the war and risked the country’s independence, compared with 38% who were open to some territorial concessions, in a poll conducted by Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

But at this point there may actually be more willingness to take such a step on the part of the Ukrainian masses. After all, there's greater awareness at this point of how poorly the army is faring along the front lines. 

There's also a power crisis ahead of what promises to be a harsh winter. Ukraine simply can't get the parts to repair its energy grid fast enough, amid unrelenting Russian drone and missile strikes.

Zelensky has emphasized a big caveat to the possibility of elections - whether a vote for the presidency or on the issue of giving up land: his international backers must help guarantee a safe and fair vote.

This means Russia might have to agree to a temporary ceasefire while any potential election proceeds, according to Kiev's thinking. Such could prove a tall order - and maybe for Zelensky this exactly the point.