As Ukraine enters the 3rd year of martial law due to Russia’s full-scale invasion, Zelenskyy has not faced elections despite his term expiring this week
The President of Russia – Vladimir Putin has said that the President of Ukraine – Volodymyr Zelenskyy has no legitimacy following the expiry of his 5-year term and this is one of the legal obstacle if Russia and Ukraine were to hold peace talks.
As Ukraine enters the 3rd year of martial law due to Russia’s full-scale invasion, Zelenskyy has not faced elections despite his term expiring this week. The West also believes that postponing elections is justified during wartime.
Ukrainian Officials have also dismissed any notion of Zelenskyy lacking legitimacy in a time of war. The Speaker of Ukraine’s Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, said that anyone questioning the President’s legitimacy is an “enemy of Ukraine” spreading false information. The Head of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate – Kyrylo Budanov, warned in February’24 that Russia would pursue a campaign aimed at undermining the legitimacy of both Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s political system.
Besides, Putin is open to a negotiated ceasefire that acknowledges the current battlefield lines but is prepared to continue fighting if Kyiv and the West do not respond.
In a televised press conference during a visit to Belarus, Putin said, “But who to negotiate with? That’s not an idle question… Of course we realise the legitimacy of the incumbent head of state is over.”
Putin said the West would use a Swiss-hosted conference on the war, due to take place next month, to endorse Zelenskyy’s legitimacy but these would be “PR steps” with no legal meaning. Russia, not invited to the Summit in Switzerland, has dismissed the event as meaningless without its participation.
He said peace should be worked out through common sense and not ultimatums. It should be based on initial draft documents from the early weeks of the war and today’s realities on the ground, referring to Russia’s control of nearly 20% of Ukraine.
Putin further said, “If it gets to that point, we will need, of course, to understand who we should and can deal with to arrive at signing legally binding documents. And then we must be fully sure we are dealing with legitimate (Ukrainian) authorities.”
Putin himself secured a new 6-year term in March through an election criticised by the opposition as a sham. He faced allegations of suppressing dissent, with leading opposition figures either imprisoned or exiled. Putin’s biggest critic – Alexei Navalny, died in February’24 in an Arctic penal colony.
Putin’s comments are likely to be taken by Ukraine and its Western allies as further evidence that he has no real intention of entering peace talks, despite frequently stating his willingness to negotiate.
In his nightly video address, without referring to Putin’s remarks, Zelenskyy said that Putin aims to derail next month’s peace summit.
Zelenskky said, “He is afraid of what the summit may produce. The world is capable of forcing Russia into peace and compliance with international security norms.”
He added, “Russia has nothing to counter the world majority. The peace summit is a formula that will allow Putin to lie no longer.”
Zelenskyy has consistently maintained that peace on Putin’s terms is unacceptable and has vowed to reclaim lost territory, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. In 2022, he signed a decree declaring any talks with Putin are “impossible”.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate, warned in February that Russia would attempt to undermine the legitimacy of both Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s political system.
