Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday again questioned the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he would only recognize the authority of the country’s parliament in Kiev.
Putain said that under the Ukrainian constitution, martial law stipulates that only the powers of the Supreme Council are extended – but not those of the president.
Ukrainian lawyers say the extension of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s powers is covered by other laws.
Ukraine’s Western allies, including Germany, also continue to recognize Zelensky as the country’s legitimate president.
Without the imposition of martial law, Zelensky’s first term of office would have ended on May 20. But due to the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion and with large parts of the country occupied by Russian forces, Ukraine is not planning elections.
In recent weeks, the Russian leadership has been trying to call Zelensky’s legitimacy into question by pointing to allegedly contradictory laws in Ukraine.
Putin, who made the latest comments on Tuesday in Tashkent at the close of his state visit to Uzbekistan, has spent recent days focusing on the issue.
On a recent visit to Beijing, he said that expert opinion was needed to clarify whether Zelensky was still legally in office. Then, during a trip to Belarus, he insisted that the Ukrainian president was no longer legitimate.
Putin’s statements are seen as an attempt to undermine the Ukrainian leader’s credibility abroad, ahead of a peace summit in Switzerland on June 15-16.
Some of Zelensky’s Ukrainian opponents have also questioned the legitimacy of his remaining in power.
Zelensky has responded by accusing Putin of not being in power legitimately himself, after the Russian leader had the constitution rewritten three years ago in order to remain in office.
Kiev called on the West to no longer recognize Putin following the Russian presidential election in March, which was overshadowed by allegations of manipulation.
Source Agencies
