Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has described Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s statements about the alleged illegitimacy of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as absurd, pointing out that in Russia, the head of state has not changed for over 25 years.

Source: Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on Telegram

Quote: “There is nothing more absurd than a lecture on legitimacy from a person who has sat in his chair for 21 years, serving someone who has ruled for more than 25 years.”

Details: He added that Lavrov himself has “no legitimacy whatsoever” to speak about legitimacy.

“Such unfounded statements demonstrate that Russia rejects peaceful efforts,” Sybiha insisted.

Why it matters: According to the Ukrainian Constitution, the next presidential elections were scheduled for March 2024. However, the law on martial law prohibits any elections in Ukraine during this period.

Vladimir Putin has been “elected president” of Russia five times. In reality, he has been in power since 2000 (with Dmitry Medvedev serving as president from 2008 to 2012 as Putin’s proxy). All so-called elections in Russia have been accompanied by falsifications and persecution of the opposition. [N.B. Ukrainska Pravda does not recognise Putin as president – ed.]

Background: Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy supposedly lacks the legitimacy required to sign legal documents with the aggressor country.

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