The Kremlin believes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky does not have the authority to sign documents resulting from potential negotiations with Moscow. This was stated by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in an interview with propagandist Pavel Zarubin.
"Negotiations can be conducted with anyone. However, due to his illegitimacy, he has no right to sign anything," Putin asserted.
According to him, the powers of the Ukrainian president have already expired, as the Ukrainian Constitution does not allow for their extension during the period of martial law. However, this is permitted for the Verkhovna Rada, insists the dictator.
"We need lawyers to confirm the legitimacy of those individuals who will be authorized by the Ukrainian state to sign these agreements," he stated.
The dictator, who is serving his fifth term as president of Russia despite a constitutional ban on more than two terms, also expressed concern over the potential illegitimacy of signatures from other Ukrainian representatives besides Zelensky. He noted that when the Ukrainian president signed the decree banning negotiations with the aggressor, he was still legitimate, and therefore, in his view, the decree will need to be revoked before any negotiations.
Furthermore, Putin claims that the war could have ended as early as 2022 if Kyiv had simply surrendered Donbas. He stated that at that time, the Ukrainian leadership was told that "people in LPR and DPR" did not want to be part of Ukraine.
"Leave there, and that's it. Everything will end, no more hostilities [will occur]," Putin recalls, clearly forgetting the then-existing demands for "demilitarization," "denazification," and Ukraine's neutral status.
The dictator also expressed confidence that Ukraine would be unable to continue fighting if the West ceased its support.
"If the money and, broadly speaking, the ammunition stop, everything will end in a month, a month and a half, or two," Putin believes.
Prospects for Peace Negotiations with Russia
As reported by UNIAN, recently Putin stated that Russia is ready for negotiations regarding Ukraine, but without Kyiv's participation. The Russian dictator claimed that if Trump had not had his victory "stolen" in the last U.S. elections, the war in Ukraine could have been avoided.
We also mentioned that, according to Zelensky, the format of future negotiations will depend not only on Ukraine. He wants the process to involve the United States and the European Union as well.