Peskov questioned Zelensky's legitimacy

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (his term of office expired on May 20, 2024), but the legitimacy of the Ukrainian leader is being questioned. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on February 18.

"Putin himself has repeatedly said that if necessary, he would be ready to negotiate with Zelensky as well. At the same time, the legal fixation of the agreements is subject to serious discussion, taking into account the reality that speaks about the possibility of challenging the legitimacy of Zelensky himself," he said.

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Earlier, on February 7, the Russian consul-general in Istanbul, Andrey Buravov, said that Ukraine should be represented by a legitimate government during the negotiations. He reminded that Zelensky could not sign the documents as his term of office expired last year.

Before that, on January 28, Putin said that "anyone" from the Ukrainian side could take part in the peace talks with Russian Federation, but only legitimate people have the right to participate in signing the final documents.

According to the provisions of the Ukrainian constitution, Zelensky's presidential term ended on May 20, 2024. Elections were supposed to be held in March this year, but they were canceled due to the martial law in Ukraine imposed by the president, which has been in effect since February 24, 2022.