Article by Viory
Zelensky Legitimacy Question
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the question of Volodymyr Zelensky‘s ‘legitimacy’ for signing any peace deal was not ‘our whim’ but a matter for the lawyers, speaking to international media from SPIEF in St Petersburg on Thursday,
“Is Mr Zelensky a legitimate representative of Ukraine? This is a question for lawyers. Of course, if we reach the signing of some documents, I think this is not our whim. Any country in the current situation, of course, should sign documents of this kind with persons who are legitimate from the point of view of the constitution of the partner country’s basic law, in this case, Ukraine,” he said.
Criticism Of Kiev
However, according to the Russian leader, the Kiev authorities are currently not interested in ending hostilities, but were preoccupied with the ‘internal political struggle’.
Election Term Dispute
Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May 2024, with no elections held during the current conflict. Russia held elections in March that year.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Ongoing War Context
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
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