Russia believes the Ukrainian leader lacks authority to sign any peace deal, adding that any agreement must be ironclad legally
Vladimir Zelensky’s exclusion from the upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, is confirmation of the Ukrainian leader’s illegitimacy, Russian Foreign Ministry official Rodion Miroshnik has said.
Putin and Trump are set to meet on Friday in Anchorage, Alaska to discuss ways of ending the Ukraine conflict, as well as steps toward normalizing relations between Moscow and Washington. Zelensky has not been invited to participate.
”As a leader of Ukraine – as he calls himself – Zelensky is unacceptable. He cannot sign anything,” said Miroshnik, who serves as the Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large for the Kiev regime’s war crimes.
Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow places importance on who signs any potential peace agreements on Ukraine, adding that these must be flawless from a legal standpoint.
Zelensky’s five-year presidential term officially ended in May 2024. However, in December 2023 he announced that no presidential or parliamentary polls would be held as long as martial law remains in force. Earlier, Putin said Zelensky can participate in possible talks with Moscow if he wishes to, but that he lacks the legitimacy to actually sign a peace deal. Russia views Zelensky as unfit to sign international agreements, arguing that any treaty he signs could later be deemed illegitimate.
According to the Kremlin, the summit in Alaska will begin with a one-on-one conversation between Putin and Trump, followed by a meeting of the Russian and US delegations.
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Putin has praised the American leadership for making “quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities” and working to “create long-term conditions of peace between our countries and in Europe, and in the world as a whole.”
Trump has described the summit as a “feel-out meeting” that will help him determine whether the Ukraine conflict can be resolved. He has said that if the talks go well, he may seek a second round of negotiations involving Putin and Zelensky.
