President Volodymyr Zelensky at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday in Paris responded to Vladimir Putin's recent statements that he is no longer the legitimate president of Ukraine. This is reported by CNN, reports UNN.
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The legitimacy of President Zelensky is recognized only by the people of Ukraine, he was elected by the people of Ukraine. I am very grateful for your support
"Our people are free. To be honest, we are fighting for this (freedom). I am grateful for your support. Only Putin himself recognizes Putin's legitimacy. Putin chooses himself. The Russian people are just scenery, they have only one actor," Zelensky said, pointing to Putin's recent victory by an overwhelming majority in the Russian presidential election, the outcome of which was predictable.
If martial law had not been imposed, the next presidential election in Ukraine would have been held in March 2024, and Zelensky's first term would have ended in May.
In his comments, Putin criticized Ukraine's martial law, introduced after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, which remains in force and explicitly prohibits elections during the war.
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Zelensky also commented on the upcoming peace summit in Ukraine, which is scheduled for June 15-16 in Switzerland. He called on world leaders to personally participate and show that they are "not afraid" of Russia.
"This is definitely a step towards ending the war – to show that the whole world is on the side of ending the war, that the whole world wants it and helps Ukraine bring peace closer as much as possible. A just peace, it is very important that it is a just and stable peace not for an hour, a month or a year, but ideally forever," the Ukrainian leader said.