Putin claims Zelensky's legitimacy is baseless in statement from Tashkent

The Ukrainian Constitution only allows for the expansion of the powers of the Verkhovna Rada, without mentioning the President. Russian President Vladimir Putin made this statement during a press conference at the end of his visit to Uzbekistan.

"The Constitution of Ukraine provides for the expansion of powers—only the powers of the Rada. It does not mention the expansion of the President's powers," Putin stated.

He asserted that a thorough analysis is needed to assess the legitimacy of the President of Ukraine.

The absence of elections during martial law in Ukraine does not justify extending the presidential term.

"The law on the legal status of martial law in Ukraine stipulates that presidential elections will not be held during such a period. However, this does not imply that the presidency should be extended. Who decided that the absence of elections means the president's term should be prolonged?" Putin questioned.

Putin is convinced that the Verkhovna Rada and its speaker remain the only legitimate government in Ukraine.

"Ukrainian statehood is based on a parliamentary-presidential republic, not a purely presidential one. The primary powers are vested in the state's representative body. Thus, it makes sense that the constitution and related legal documents are structured accordingly. Therefore, based on a preliminary assessment, the only legitimate authority is the Speaker of the Parliament and the Rada," Putin commented.

He noted that preliminary legal analysis supports this conclusion.

"We must pay close attention. Some experts point out a conflict between the constitution, which only expands the Rada's powers under martial law, and the law I referred to, likely the 2016 law on the legal status of martial law," he explained.

Putin emphasized that this document specifies that presidential elections will not occur but does not mention extending the president's powers.

It should be noted that yesterday, on May 24, during his visit to Minsk, Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked that the legal term of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ended, raising questions about whom to negotiate regarding Ukraine.