Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot sign a formal peace agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky because Moscow considers him “illegitimate,” Russia’s top diplomat stated on Sunday.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the remarks during an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, indicating that Putin would not be able to finalize an accord with Zelensky under the current circumstances.
While the Kremlin has expressed similar views before, these comments carry added weight as President Trump is working to arrange a meeting between Putin and Zelensky — their first face-to-face encounter since the war began — aimed at securing a permanent peace agreement.
“Irrespective of when this meeting might take place, and that must be very well prepared, the issue of who is going to sign the deal on Ukrainian side is a very serious issue,” Lavrov said.
“We recognize him as the de-facto head of the regime, and in this capacity we are ready to meet with him. But when it comes to signing legal documents… we would need very clear understanding by everybody that the person who is signing is legitimate.”
Russia has insisted that Ukraine hold new elections, arguing that Zelensky’s term technically ended since he has not faced re-election since 2019. Moscow claims secure elections cannot be conducted while the conflict continues. Putin has remained in power since 2000, briefly stepping aside between 2008 and 2012 when his ally Dmitry Medvedev served as president.
Lavrov’s position clashes directly with comments from Vice President JD Vance, who also appeared on Meet the Press Sunday. Vance said the Russians had confirmed during their discussions with Trump in Alaska that Zelensky is recognized as Ukraine’s legitimate leader.
“They’ve recognized that they’re not going to be able to install a puppet regime in Kyiv, and importantly, they’ve acknowledged that there is going to be some security guarantee to the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Vance said, describing the concessions the Russians agreed to during the Anchorage talks.
{Matzav.com}
