The head of state of Russia argued that, according to the Ukrainian Constitution, “the president of Ukraine, even under martial law, has no right to extend his powers, and only the representative authorities,” i.e. the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament), can do so.
“The head of state has only a five-year term, nothing more, and then his powers are transferred to the representative of the Rada,” the Russian leader specified.
In this regard, Putin specified that, if Zelensky wants to participate in the negotiations, he will assign the people who will carry out these agreements with the representative of Kiev.
In this regard, he acknowledged that the important thing in the matter is the final signing of the documents, “it is a very serious issue, which should ensure the security of both Ukraine and Russia for a long-term historical perspective,” he added. Putin also explained that Zelensky cannot override his own ban on negotiations with Moscow, as his mandate expired, “however, there are ways to do it,” he noted.
ef/jav/mem/odf