Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has once again questioned the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidency and his authority to sign a peace agreement with Russia.
In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, Lavrov commented on the prospect of a summit between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He stated that talks were possible since Zelensky is the “de facto head of the regime” in Kiev, but emphasized that any agreement must be signed by the legitimate leader of the Ukrainian government. Lavrov underlined that any deal signed by Zelensky could face immediate legal challenges.
Zelensky’s five-year presidential term expired in May of last year without elections being held. He has claimed that elections cannot take place under martial law, a position Moscow disputes, saying it undermines the legitimacy of any agreement he may sign.
Previously, Putin and other Russian officials stated that legitimate head of the Ukrainian government would be the Speaker of Ukraine's Parliament.
Lavrov also dismissed Zelensky’s calls for a meeting with Putin, describing them as “basically a game” focused on theatrics rather than substance. He further noted that Zelensky had rejected all proposals recently presented by U.S. President Donald Trump, and that Moscow sees little purpose in a meeting that would likely produce no results.
Following Putin’s meeting with Trump on August 15, Russia achieved a significant diplomatic success as Washington dropped its demand for an immediate ceasefire and instead aligned with Moscow’s stance that a comprehensive, long-term peace agreement is required to end the conflict.
However, with Zelensky unwilling to make concessions and the U.S. continuing to supply weapons to Ukraine through European intermediaries, Lavrov suggested that Zelensky has little incentive to engage in serious peace talks—an issue that Trump raised during their Oval Office meeting in February, when he stated that he had empowered Zelensky to be a "tough guy" when he otherwise wouldn't have been.