Negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation: the Kremlin must recognize Zelenskyy's legitimacy - ISW
Kyiv • UNN
For meaningful negotiations, Russia must recognize the legitimacy of the President, Government and Constitution of Ukraine. According to analysts, otherwise any agreements will be invalid.
Russia must clearly recognize the legitimacy of the Ukrainian president, government, and Constitution, as well as the sovereignty of Ukraine, in order to participate in meaningful, good-faith negotiations. This is stated in the material of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), reports UNN.
Details
Analysts point out that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and other Kremlin officials have repeatedly falsely claimed that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is an illegitimate leader according to the Ukrainian Constitution and that all Ukrainian governments since 2014 are also illegitimate.
The Constitution and laws of Ukraine directly state that elections cannot be held in Ukraine while martial law is in effect, and that the Ukrainian government cannot lift martial law as long as there is a "threat of attack or a threat to the state independence of Ukraine and its territorial integrity"
They also argue that Russia and Ukraine cannot conduct meaningful negotiations as long as the Kremlin refuses to recognize Ukraine's negotiating powers.
Russian officials disseminated information about the alleged illegitimacy of the Ukrainian government recently, on May 17. ... These Russian efforts are aimed at creating conditions for Russia to refuse any future Ukrainian-Russian agreements
In their opinion, any future peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine must include a clear recognition by the Kremlin of the legitimacy of the Ukrainian president, government, and Constitution.
Reminder
At the end of January, Putin stated his readiness to send representatives to negotiations with Zelenskyy, whom he considers illegitimate. According to him, negotiations can be held with anyone, but documents must be signed by legitimate persons.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sybiha called Putin's statements about Zelenskyy's illegitimacy absurd. During Putin's reign, three presidents have been replaced in Ukraine in fair elections.
President of Ukraine stated that his legitimacy was confirmed by 73% of voters. He emphasized the impossibility of holding elections during the war due to technical and legislative restrictions.