According to Russian President, Vladimir Putin, the only legitimate power in Ukraine is Verkhovha Rada (national parliament) and its Speaker as Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s official term in office has expired.
Speaking at a news conference in Uzbekistan, Putin noted that the matter is that Ukraine’s statehood is based on the idea of parliamentary and presidential republic, rather than on that of a presidential republic.
“It means that the country’s representative body holds all basic levers of power. So, this is quite logical that this is what the constitution is built on, and hence, other legal acts stemming from it. So, technically, to my preliminary view, the only legitimate power is parliament and the Rada Speaker.”
Vladimir Putin
He added that “this law only says that presidential election cannot be held amid martial law but nothing is said there that the President’s office term is extended.”
“This is the problem,” he stressed.
Also, Putin stated that the west ignored warnings about Ukraine striking inside Russian territory, adding this provoked the opening of a new front towards Kharkiv to create what Russia has called a buffer zone.
Moreover, the Russian President warned of the danger of a global conflict due to western provocations.
He called on NATO countries to think about “what they are playing with.” He described US attempts to intimidate other nations as “imperial” behaviour.
Putin said that Russia has long known that foreign mercenaries are operating in Ukraine, noting that their communication intercepts often hear voices in languages other than Ukrainian, including French and Polish.
He asserted that the Russian Federation would continue to do as it sees fit, regardless of the presence of western military operatives in Ukraine, and that they would also be targets.
Putin noted that strikes on Russian territory by weapons supplied by the west to Ukraine are only possible with the help of specialists from western countries.
Furthermore, Putin stressed that Russia has never refused to negotiate with Ukraine and would resume talks on the basis of those held in Istanbul.
Turkey attempted to broker peace very early on after Russia’s February 2022 invasion. In October 2022, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree ruling out direct talks with Putin, but not completely closing the door on negotiations.
The two countries have diametrically opposed negotiating positions, with Ukraine insisting it regain all territory, including Crimea which was unilaterally annexed by Russia on 2014, and Russia insisting that Ukraine and the west have to recognise what it describes as “new realities” on the ground.
Putin said that it was Ukraine who had rejected talks, and as a consequence they will face more losses if they attempt to change the situation in the battlefield.
Kremlin Calls Ukraine Peace Summit Futile
Also on Tuesday, Kremlin Spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin thinks that a conference on Ukraine slated to take place in Switzerland in June is futile.
“So far, we’ve seen an attempt to prepare a conference in Switzerland. A conference which, from our point of view, is absolutely futile in terms of seeking some ways of a settling the conflict around Ukraine,” he said.
The Kremlin official branded the idea to discuss these issues at a summit without Russia as absurd.
He noted that Western countries “decided to get involved in this absurd affair anyway.”
In response to the West’s military fervour, Peskov asserted that Russia should stand its ground and continue what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
At the same time, Peskov said that the West had no unanimity of opinion regarding the Ukrainian army’s strikes with Western weapons on Russian territory.
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