However, the Russian leader questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy, noting that his presidential term expired in May 2024.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed willingness to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky, but only during the final stage of peace negotiations.

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“We also want to end the conflict as soon as possible — and preferably through peaceful means,” Putin said during a meeting with major global news agencies at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The Russian leader would have no objection to meeting with Zelensky if the Ukrainian state officially tasked him with leading the negotiations. However, Putin once again questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy, noting that his presidential term expired in May 2024.

“The problem is, who will sign the documents?” said Putin, who rejected Zelensky’s proposal to meet in mid-May in Istanbul, citing the absence of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Putin recalled that in 2022, Russia was willing to allow Ukraine to retain control over the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in exchange for establishing a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula.

Now, however, those two regions — along with the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics — are, “an inalienable part of the territory of the Russian Federation,” he stated and emphasized that Russia would not allow Ukraine to have an army capable of threatening Russian security under any circumstances.

“We are ready to engage in substantive negotiations on the principles of a settlement. But the Ukrainian side must also be ready,” Putin said, calling on Western countries to stop encouraging Kiev to fight “until the last Ukrainian.”

Still, the Kremlin leader said his country is willing to continue negotiations with Ukraine after June 22 on humanitarian issues, such as the exchange of prisoners of war. “These negotiations make sense,” he said.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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