Kremlin sets condition for peace deal with Ukraine
Photo: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (Getty Images)
Russia is once again claiming the alleged illegitimacy of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that Ukraine will need to hold elections before signing a peace agreement, reports Interfax.
According to Lavrov, before a peace agreement is signed between Kyiv and Moscow, the "optimal option" for Ukraine would be to hold elections.
"We will look at who has legitimacy from the Ukrainian authorities. The current constitution (of Ukraine – ed.) supposedly allows for talk about the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, but the optimal option would be holding elections," said the head of the ministry.
He added that, according to the position of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy "does not possess legitimacy."
Legitimacy of the President of Ukraine
Russia regularly questions Zelenskyy’s legitimacy after the expiration of his constitutional five-year term on May 20, 2024. Moscow claims that without new elections, his powers have allegedly expired. This narrative is actively promoted by the propaganda inside Russia as well as on the international stage.
However, Ukrainian law clearly stipulates that elections are not held during wartime, and the incumbent president continues to fulfill his duties until the inauguration of a new head of state.
Director of the legal department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maksim Musikhin, already stated that the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine might not be suitable as a signatory of a future agreement between the countries, and Zelenskyy is "illegitimate."
